Release
PHILADELPHIA–Less than six months after declaring an outbreak of Hepatitis A to be a public health emergency, the Philadelphia Department of Public Health has released a report on the response showing that, after an intensive vaccination campaign and the installation of public toilets, the city experienced a greater than 90% drop from a peak of nearly 120 Hepatitis A cases in August 2019 to fewer than 10 cases in December 2019.
Philly Voice
Due to these initiatives, health officials began seeing a sharp decline in hepatitis A cases in September, when 50 cases were reported. Monthly totals dipped to 36 in October, 15 in November and nine in December.
https://www.phillyvoice.com/philly-hepatitis-a-outbreak-cases-decline-outreach-initiatives/
By Tracey Romero
Inquirer
“The most successful strategy to combat these outbreaks is an intensive vaccination campaign, which we implemented and appears to have worked,” said city Health Commissioner Thomas Farley. “While we are excited to see these results, there is much more work to be done to ensure that the infection does not flare up again.”
By Rita Giordano
The Collected Works of Jim Garrow 