Christian County Board of Health members were presented several updates at Monday night’s meeting, including the number of probable hepatitis A cases in the county.
As of February 16, Christian County Health Department Director Kayla Bebout stated there are 35 unconfirmed cases of hepatitis A in the county that have been reported to the state.
Dr. Parth Shah said they have never had this many cases of hepatitis A in the ten years he has been in Hopkinsville. He noted most of the cases admitted at the hospital are from intravenous drug use.
Through the help of state Senator Whitney Westerfield’s Grant Vaccine, Bebout explained they are putting forth a lot of effort to combat hepatitis A by vaccinating inmates at the Christian County Jail.
She added the Christian County Sheriff’s Department has also been vaccinated as well as the staff at Wendy’s, which she noted is the first restaurant in Hopkinsville to take proactive measures.
Bebout added they are continuing to educate and investigate the cases and see if there are any connections, like possibly sharing needles.
At this time, she stated there is technically only one confirmed case of hepatitis A in Christian County but it takes a long time for confirmation because the blood sample is sent to the state and confirmed and then sent to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention. Bebout stated the CDC is overloaded with these cases and is reviewing cases from July 2018.
Bebout also stated the county has a high number of HIV cases, which could also be the result of sharing needles.
As a board of health and health department, Bebout says due to the rising number of hepatitis A and HIV cases they may need to take another look into the needle exchange program and see if it is something necessary to offer the community.
Bebout and board Chairman Dr. Marty Gamble also welcomed Christian County Fiscal Court magistrate Rich Liebe to the health board. Liebe is replacing David Collins who was defeated in the November general election.
We will have more from Monday night’s Christian County Board of Health meeting this week.
