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Kentucky Jail Official: Nine Inmates Diagnosed With Hepatitis A

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS, PUBLIC DOMAIN

Officials say several jail inmates have been diagnosed with hepatitis A in a Kentucky county where cases of the contagious liver disease have increased in recent months.

The Lexington Herald-Leader reported Tuesday that Lexington-Fayette County Health Department officials had warned the jail's staff last year about the outbreak that has occurred throughout parts of the state.

The jail's public information officer, Lt. Matt LeMonds, says there were 13 hepatitis A cases in Fayette County in mid-September. Now, there are 98 cases and nine have been inmates'.

LeMonds says none of the people diagnosed contracted hepatitis A at the jail. The facility has worked with the department to provide vaccinations for inmates, and so far more than 1,200 have volunteered to get it.

The jail is holding more than 1,400 individuals.

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