Saginaw Chippewa Tribe dispels rumors about Hepatitis A and casino

Thursday, January 18, 2018  

The Saginaw Chippewa Tribe is not connected to a Hepatitis A outbreak in Michigan, MLive reports.

The tribe began offering the Hepatitis A vaccine to all employees as a precaution. That spurred rumors on social media of an outbreak at the Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort.

"Central Michigan District Health Department would like to confirm that the outbreak is not associated with the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe or the Tribal enterprises," a post on Facebook read. "No hepatitis A cases associated with this outbreak have occurred in the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe or the Tribal enterprises."

The outbreak began in the southeastern part of the state August 2016, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Some 677 cases have been reported and 22 people have died as a result.

The tribe is based in central Michigan, far from the outbreak area. But health experts have recommended vaccinations to protect against Hepatitis A, which can be spread through contaminated food or water or from close contact with another person carrying the virus.

Read More on the Story:
Hepatitis A outbreak in SE Michigan not associated with Soaring Eagle Casino (MLive January 17, 2018)
Michigan hit hard by deadly hepatitis A outbreak (CNN January 16, 2018)
Michigan's hepatitis A outbreak now nation's deadliest (Michigan Radio January 10, 2018)