The Department of Health in New Jersey and the Camden County Health Department are advising people who visited a Starbucks in Camden County to be on the lookout for signs and symptoms of hepatitis A, and to consider receiving the hepatitis A vaccine (HAV) if they haven't done so already. : “Based on the investigation and out of an abundance of caution, the Department of Health recommends any member of the public that patronized the Starbucks facility on Nov. 4, 5, 6, 11, 12 and 13 to get the hepatitis A vaccine.”
The hepatitis A vaccine was . Initially, the vaccine (named Vaqta) was recommended for children at high risk of contracting hepatitis A. By 2006, the hepatitis A vaccine was recommended for all children in the United States , with earlier ages recommended to get the first dose of the two-dose series if they are traveling to places where hepatitis A is endemic. This recommendation in the United States, yet outbreaks continue to occur involving large numbers of people.
Low Risk ≠ No Risk
Because of the relatively recent recommendation to include HAV in the childhood immunization schedule, many young and older adults are not immune. With the availability of water sanitation and food preparation regulations, hepatitis A is not highly endemic in the United States. However, outbreaks happen, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has :
As you can see, Kentucky has reported over 4,000 cases of hepatitis A in . Unlike outbreaks in other parts of the world, the outbreak in Kentucky seems not associated with contaminated food or water. Instead, the outbreak is associated with illicit drug use (especially among individuals who use intravenous drugs) and among unhoused people. That outbreak, which is also associated with cases in other states, . According to the Kentucky Department of Health, HAV coverage among 2 years olds ranges from about 18% to 45% by county:
NOTE: The map above shows 2-doses. The vaccine coverage with at least one dose may be higher.
In the State of Washington, a hepatitis A outbreak and resulted in 465 cases, 263 hospitalizations, and 9 deaths. Between 2017 and 2018, an outbreak of hepatitis A in San Diego County, California, . In both of these outbreaks, massive vaccination campaigns took place, aimed at people at high risk of contracting the disease.