Use of Molecular Epidemiology to Inform Response to a Hepatitis A Outbreak - Los Angeles County, California, October 2018-April 2019.

Use of Molecular Epidemiology to Inform Response to a Hepatitis A Outbreak - Los Angeles County, California, October 2018-April 2019. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2020 Jul 03;69(26):820-824 Authors: Haddix M, Civen R, Hacker JK, Probert W, New S, Green N, Hemarajata P, Gounder P Abstract Los Angeles County comprises 4,058 square miles and is home to approximately 10 million residents (1), an estimated 59,000 (0.6%) of whom experience homelessness on a given night (2). In late 2018, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LAC DPH) was notified of a case of hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection in a person experiencing homelessness. LAC DPH conducted an investigation to determine the source of infection, identify additional cases, and identify contacts for postexposure prophylaxis (PEP). Over the next week, LAC DPH identified two additional hepatitis A cases in persons experiencing homelessness who knew one another socially and were known to congregate at a specific street intersection. To identify and respond rapidly to additional outbreak-associated cases, LAC DPH implemented enhanced surveillance procedures, including immediately obtaining specimens for molecular testing from all patients with suspected hepatitis A in the same geographic area. Enhanced surveillance identified four additional cases in persons linked to a senior living campus within two blocks of the intersection where the initial three patients reported congregatin...
Source: MMWR Morb Mortal Wkl... - Category: Epidemiology Authors: Tags: MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep Source Type: research