Williams said he recently attended a meeting in Atlanta where each state’s communicable disease experts discussed how they were responding to the outbreaks.

“One notable state we heard from was Tennessee — a state comparable in size to Missouri — which is experiencing an even more severe outbreak,” he said. “They very quickly developed a very robust and purposeful campaign to get people vaccinated.”

Williams said he is working with leaders of the St. Louis and St. Louis County health departments to plan outreach efforts to get high-risk populations vaccinated. Thorough hand-washing before eating or preparing food is also important.

He also wants to urge health providers to have the virus on their radar. “Three years ago, a provider might not be giving enough thought about hepatitis A,” he said. “We certainly want to raise their awareness and get vaccines for those people they are caring for.”

People in any of the following at-risk categories are urged to contact their local public health department with questions or requests to get vaccinated: recreational drug users, homeless persons, men having sex with men, people being treated for drug abuse, people who’ve been held in jail or a detention facility. People who have been in contact with at-risk individuals also are encouraged to contact local public health officials.

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