MADISON COUNTY, Ky (LEX 18) More than 300 people have been infected with Hepatitis A during the outbreak in Kentucky. This has led to people asking their local doctors about the vaccine for protection.
"You get one shot. Six months later, there’s a second shot and you’re immuned for life," Madison County Health Department Information Officer Jim Thacker said.
Health leaders said there are rumors spreading that people need Hepatitis A vaccines before coming to Kentucky, but the CDC hasn’t made any special vaccination requirements. However, they always recommend children get the vaccine, as well as other groups who are at risk for the virus.
"Those seem to be people who are homeless, folks who use illicit drugs," he said.
People seem to be taking that advice. Reports came out that in other parts of the state, pharmacies have seen more people asking about the Hepatitis A vaccine, but in Madison County, where they are dealing with one case of the virus, there hasn’t been too much concern.
“After we had the one case of Hepatitis A a couple of weeks ago, we had a couple of pharmacies report that they had a few individuals come in to get the vaccine but we haven’t seen a run-on vaccine and we’re not aware of any pharmacies ordering a mass quantity of vaccine," said Thacker.
