Two detainees at the Davidson County Sheriff's Office were diagnosed with Hepatitis A, bringing the outbreak total to 18 cases.
The cases were confirmed by Metro Public Health officials Friday. They are the first hep A cases at a the DCSO facility.
MPHD officials are working closely with the DCSO to investigate and provide protection measures in response to the two cases.
Health officials will begin offering hep A vaccinations to all detainees Saturday morning, beginning with with those who are housed with the two detainees. DCSO public safety staff will also be offered the vaccine.
Going forward, hep A vaccine will be offered when a person in custody enters a DCSO facility for the first time.
CDC Information On Hepatitis A
As a result of the confirmed cases, all DCSO detainees will undergo a screening prior to being taken to any scheduled appointments or court dates. If they are found to have any signs or symptoms, they will be isolated and will not leave the facility until they have been cleared by medical staff.
DCSO officials released the following statement Friday afternoon:
"The Nashville-Davidson County Sheriff’s Office takes the health of our staff and inmates very seriously. We are working closely with the Metro Public Health Department (MPHD) and are committed to following every recommendation/protocol in order to provide protective measures. Jails are a microcosm of the community; therefore, it isn’t surprising we are now seeing cases in our facilities following several cases diagnosed in Davidson County. Vaccinations will be offered to both staff and inmates at the Correctional Development Center and the Offender ReEntry Center beginning [Saturday] morning."
The reported cases bring the total number of confirmed cases in Nashville to 18 since December 2017. MPHD officials have been working with the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) on investigating and responding to a hepatitis A outbreak in Nashville for the past three weeks.
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