The state has put resources toward fighting a hepatitis A outbreak.
The outbreak has been mainly in southeast Michigan. But health officials say cases are popping up in other areas like Ingham County.
The centers will work with local health officials to help them prevent and investigate cases of hepatitis A.
Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley says the problem isn’t limited to Michigan.
“We are seeing increases around the country as well. So this kind of approach, being aggressive, makes a lot of sense.”
“This is about public health. This is about our individuals who are out there just living their lives and we need to make sure that we’re doing everything that we can to prevent the spread of hepatitis A.”
Angela Minicuci is with the Department of Health and Human Services. She says one plan of attack is vaccinations.
“If we can get the high risk populations, those that are most likely to come in contact with hepatitis A strain associated with this outbreak, if we can get them vaccinated we have a good chance of slowing the number of cases and preventing it from spreading.”
Minicuci says this outbreak seems to be mostly spread through person-to-person contact. Those high-risk populations include people who use drugs, the homeless, and people who are incarcerated.