USE OF HEPATITIS-A VACCINE IN A COMMUNITY-WIDE OUTBREAK OF HEPATITIS-A

Hepatitis A outbreaks in communities are often difficult to control. F rom July 1994 through June 1995, 676 cases of hepatitis A were reporte d in Shelby County, Tennessee. With the Iicensure of a hepatitis A vac cine in February 1995, a new tool for outbreak control became availabl e, During August-October 1995, a mass vaccination campaign was conduct ed. A total of 34,054 children received the first dose of hepatitis A vaccine. From December 1995 through December 1996, the number of hepat itis A cases reported inside the intervention area declined by 64%; ou tside the intervention area, the number of cases declined by 40%. The precise contribution of the vaccine campaign to the decline in the num ber of outbreak cases is difficult to quantify because community outbr eaks often wane over time. The vac cine campaign may have hastened the decline of the number of outbreak cases. Future interventions should consider an earlier campaign with greater vaccine coverage.