Notes from the Field: Health Care-Associated Hepatitis A Outbreak - Texas, 2015

MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2016 Apr 29;65(16):425-6. doi: 10.15585/mmwr.mm6516a5.

Abstract

On August 27-28, 2015, the Texas Department of State Health Services received calls from Fort Bend County and Harris County health departments requesting postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) recommendations for contacts of two nurses (patients A and B) with confirmed hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection. Both nurses had symptom onset during August 15-19 and worked for the same pediatric home health care agency in another jurisdiction. Because of the proximity of the onset dates, a common source exposure was suspected. The state and local health departments began an investigation to identify potentially exposed patients, their families, and other agency personnel; offer PEP; and identify the source of exposure.

MeSH terms

  • Child
  • Contact Tracing
  • Disease Outbreaks*
  • Hepatitis A / epidemiology
  • Hepatitis A / prevention & control
  • Hepatitis A / transmission*
  • Hepatitis A Vaccines / administration & dosage
  • Home Health Nursing*
  • Humans
  • Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional*
  • Occupational Exposure / adverse effects*
  • Pediatric Nursing*
  • Post-Exposure Prophylaxis
  • RNA, Viral / isolation & purification
  • Texas / epidemiology

Substances

  • Hepatitis A Vaccines
  • RNA, Viral