Hundreds of inmates in jail in Montgomery County were vaccinated for hepatitis A after one case was diagnosed at the jail.
An inmate tested positive for hepatitis A on Thursday, August 2. The following Saturday, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and their inmate medical provider, Correct Care Solutions, along with assistance from the Montgomery County Health Department and Tennessee Health Department, administered 610 hepatitis A vaccines to inmates.
The inmate who tested positive was quarantined and placed under medical care. As of Wednesday, no other inmates had tested positive.
Recreational drug users, the LGBT community, and those experiencing homelessness are at the highest risk of getting hepatitis A, but it is vaccine-preventable.
“It can be a serious and sometimes deadly disease, but the good news is steps can be taken to prevent it. This includes simply washing your hands with soap and water after using the bathroom and before eating and preparing food and also getting the hepatitis A vaccine,” said Joey Smith, Health Department Director.
“When something like this occurs, you have to act fast to prevent it from spreading, and we did exactly that,” said Sheriff John Fuson. “This entire process highlights the readiness of our jail staff, our inmate medical provider, and our local and state health departments, who all did a great job addressing this issue.”
For more information on hepatitis A, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention online.
