ORLANDO, Fla. — Orange County Jail officials are vaccinating the entire inmate population at the facility after four inmates recently tested positive for hepatitis A.
- Orange Jail vaccinating inmates after 4 test positive for hepatitis A
- Incoming inmates were being given the option of getting vaccination
- State has issued public health advisory after spike in hepatitis A cases
One of those inmates has been released.
There were 2,600 inmates Wednesday at the jail, which in 2017 was the sixth largest in Florida.
Incoming inmates were being given the option to be vaccinated, corrections officials said.
"There is no outbreak of hep A at the jail," Orange County Corrections spokeswoman Tracy Zampaglione said. "The jail and medical staff are taking necessary precautions and following all protocols, and we are taking direction from the Health Department."
Corrections officials didn't say whether the inmates contracted hepatitis A at the jail or had it before they arrived.
A sharp spike in hepatitis A cases, primarily in the Tampa Bay and Orlando areas, prompted the state to issue a public health advisory late last year. A food service worker at Disney Springs' Morimoto Asia tested positive in November.
Hepatitis A is a virus that affects the liver. Symptoms include jaundice (yellow eyes and skin), fever, diarrhea, nausea and stomach pain.