12/28/2023 0 Comments Deja vu san diegoThe uptick and the death are cause for concern, especially since San Diego had a hepatitis A outbreak in 2017-2018 in which 20 people died and nearly 600 got sick. Eighteen have involved homeless people, one of whom has died. For the year, there have been 28 hepatitis A cases. Now, the county wants more from the city than it’s done so far. It chose to install 10 new handwashing stations and zero restrooms - even though grand juries, advocates for homeless people and the local media have noted for years that Downtown has insufficient restrooms and that a public health crisis was entirely possible in the area. The title of the county’s memo said the action was “required” but the memo used the word “requested” elsewhere. Atop the list: deploying “additional handwashing stations and portable restrooms to serve the unsheltered,” which would limit the spread of hepatitis A from contact with fecal matter. Wooten, the county’s public health officer, met twice with city officials, her office outlined the steps the city should take to address an increase in hepatitis A cases concentrated among homeless residents in the Downtown area. Most cities defer to county public health decisions - acknowledging they lack the expertise and experience to make the most informed choices.Ī deadly hepatitis A outbreak in San Diego is raising new questions about the roles and responsibilities of city and county government, five-plus years after a poor response led to a deadlier hepatitis A outbreak that went unchecked for too long. While cities can have their own public health agencies, only a handful, such as Long Beach and Pasadena, do. This means large counties have large public health bureaucracies with duties including substance abuse and mental health care, environmental health regulation, health screening and nutritional services. Under a state law that took effect in 1933, California’s 58 counties are responsible for the public health of all their residents. We base our editorials and endorsements on reporting, interviews and rigorous debate, and strive for accuracy, fairness and civility in our section. The editorial board operates independently from the U-T newsroom but holds itself to similar ethical standards.
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