Pop-up vax clinics created to curb hep A spread
Rise in cases likely caused by return of international travel, says public health physician Dr Priya Janagaraj.
A spike in hepatitis A infections has been detected across eastern Australia, with NSW and Queensland reporting far more cases in the year to date compared to previous five-year averages.
Two locally acquired cases in Toowoomba and a cluster in Gympie and the Gold Coast have also led public health authorities to open free pop-up vaccination clinics to reduce local transmission.
As of 29 June, there have been 136 laboratory-confirmed cases of hepatis A reported to the National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System, compared to a total of 143 cases last year.
More than half of this year’s cases (56%) were detected in NSW and Queensland, which have so far had 46 and 31 cases, respectively.
