N.S. woman living in flood zone wants province to pay for hepatitis vaccines

A Windsor, N.S.,woman who lives in a frequent flood zone is asking the province to pay for her combined hepatitis A and B vaccine after she accidentally fellinto contaminated water earlier this summer.

Jennifer Moore lives on Stannus Street, where brown-coloured watertainted with sewagebegins spewing out of catch basins nearly every time it rains for morethan 15 minutes, flooding the downtown street and overflowing onto residential properties.

She's counted 19 separate incidents involving flooding over the past few years alone.

In July, there was flooding yet again, and Moore began pumping out her basement, drivewayand yard, which has become common practice for her.

But this time, she accidentally fell face-first into the water.

"I felt very panicked. The water was dark as mud and it was about 9 o'clock at night," she said in an interview with Information Morning Nova Scotia this week.

Afterward, she was able to get a tetanus shot free of charge, but when she went to get hepatitis A and Bvaccines, she says she was told she'd have to pay up becauseshe wasn't in a high-risk group.

A pharmacist told her thecombined hepatitis A and B shot requires three doses at a cost of $75 each, which waslater confirmed by the province.

Not in high-risk group, says province

Moore said she's aware there's no quick fix forthe flooding issues, but she believes that in the meantime,everyone on her street should get theshots free of charge given their proximity to contaminated water.

"I wasn't just looking for myself, I was looking for several homes in this area where families would need to have this vaccination," she said.

The Municipality of West Hants has previouslysaid that an overhaul of the sewage system would cost up to $200 million and require additional support from all levels of government. Buyout programs for those living in the area are also being considered.

Information Morning - NS9:05Woman from Windsor calls on the province to pay for her hepatitis vaccines

Where Jennifer Moore lives in downtown Windsor, the sewers overflow onto her street and her property neary everytime it rains. Moore says she knows there is no quick fix, but she is calling on the province to keep residents safe from the raw sewage. That includes covering the cost of a Hepatitis A and B vaccine.

In a statement, a spokesperson for theDepartment of Health and Wellnessconfirmed to CBC News that thevaccine is only free for the following individuals: people with HIV orchronic liver disease, men who have sex with men, people with a history of substance abuse and those who engage in "high-risk sexual practices."

The department said health-care providers assess anindividual's eligibility for the high-risk vaccine ona case-by-case basisand if they are eligible, the vaccine is administered free for Nova Scotians with a health card.

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