An employee at The Back Corner, an entertainment venue at 1413 5th Avenue North in Nashville, Tennessee, has been diagnosed with hepatitis A, according to the Nashville Public Health Department. The Metro Public Health Department (MPDH) is issuing a public notice and will offer free hepatitis A vaccinations to customers who visited that facility on June 28, 29, or 30, 2018.
A vaccination is only good for 14 days after the day of exposure. That means that anyone who was at The Back Corner on June 28, 2018, will have to be vaccinated by tomorrow, July 12, 2018. The MPHD locations offering the shots are: Lentz Public Health Center at 2500 Charlotte Avenue 37209, East Health Center at 1015 East Trinity Lane 37206, and Woodbine Health Center at 224 Oriel Avenue 37210. The hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm.
MPDH says that there are 48 confirmed cases of hepatitis A confirmed in Nashville since December 20127. The symptoms of this illness include decreased appetite, fatigue, nausea, stomach pain, dark urine, clay colored stools, and jaundice, or yellowing of the eyes and skin. Symptoms start 15 to 50 days after exposure, in most cases.
Most people do recover after this type of infection, but anyone with a liver disease or another chronic illness may become seriously ill and need to be hospitalized. People have died in this hepatitis A outbreak, which has affected hundreds of people across the country.
If you attended The Back Corner on those dates, you can get a free vaccination or you can visit your health care provider. The best ways to prevent this infection are to be vaccinated against the illness, especially if you work with the public, and to wash your hands well with soap and water after using the bathroom and taking care of someone who is sick. If you are ill with a diarrheal illness, stay home from work or school.
