An employee of a downtown bar in Nashville has been diagnosed with acute hepatitis A, according to the Metro Public Health Department.
MPHD officials made the announcement Friday. The employee works at Stirrup, an LGBTQ entertainment venue in the 1500 block of 4th Avenue South.
Health officials said the risk of contracting hepatitis A is low, but they still wanted to issue the public notice out of caution.
MPHD will also be offering free hepatitis A vaccinations to any customers who visited Stirrup from July 13 to July 21.
A special vaccination clinic will be held this weekend, July 28 and 29, at the Lentz Public Health Center.
“There is a small risk that hepatitis A can spread when an infected person serves food or drinks,” said Rachel Franklin, Interim Director of Communicable Disease and Emergency Preparedness. “For this reason, we are notifying the public so that customers who visited Stirrup during the dates when this individual was working can protect themselves.”
Efforts are still being made to reach the three main at-risk groups in response to the outbreak of hepatitis A: those who use drugs (not just injection drug use), men who have sexual contact with men, and those experiencing homelessness.
The outbreak was first announced nearly two months ago.
You can visit the MPHD at the following locations:
- Lentz Public Health Center - 2500 Charlotte Ave. 37209 - Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Lentz Special hepatitis A vaccine clinic - July 28 and 29 - 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- East Health Center - 1015 East Trinity Lane 37206 - Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Woodbine Health Center - 224 Oriel Ave. 37210 - Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Officials said they’ve confirmed 60 cases of hepatitis A in Nashville since December 2017.
For those in the three at-risk groups, an agreement with Neighborhood Health has been established to provide hepatitis A vaccinations.
You can find Neighborhood Health at the following locations:
- Downtown Clinic - 526 8th Avenue South (adjacent to the Room in the Inn campus) - Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
- Madison Clinic - 601 W. Due West Avenue - Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., and Saturday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- My House Clinic - 442 Metroplex Dr. Building D, Suite 200 - Monday through Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Friday 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
- Cayce Clinic - 617 South 8th St. - Monday through Friday, 7am to 4pm
- Cleveland Park Medical & Dental Clinic - 1223 Dickerson Pike - Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm
- Eastside Medical & Dental Clinic - 905 Main St. - Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm
- Napier Medical & Dental Clinic - 107 Charles E. Davis Blvd. - Monday through Friday, 7am to 4pm
Walk-ins are welcome, but appointments can be made with Neighborhood Health by calling 615-227-3000.
The symptoms of hepatitis A are:
- Fatigue
- Decreased appetite
- Stomach pain
- Nausea
- Darkened urine
- Pale stools
- Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes)
Those infected can become sick 15 to 50 days after being exposed to the virus.
