An “alarming increase” in Summit County hepatitis A cases has prompted health officials to issue an alert reminding residents to get vaccinated.
According to Summit County Public Health, an outbreak of national hepatitis A cases across 18 states has been on the rise since 2016. As of last month, there have been 15,000 reported cases, 8,500 hospitalizations, and 140 deaths across the country.
Last year, the Ohio Department of Health issued a warning and declared a statewide outbreak. Since 2018, there have been 2,044 Ohio cases reported, 1,259 hospitalizations and seven deaths.
Since the start of this year, a total of 32 cases has been reported in Summit County and 19 of those have been connected to the nationwide outbreak.
“Drug misuse, especially drugs that are injected, have been reported at higher rates in 2019 hepatitis A cases, suggesting that hepatitis A is circulating among this population in Summit County,” health officials said.
According to SCPH, hepatitis A can be transmitted through contact with “objects, food or drink contaminated with fecal matter from an infected person, or by close person to person contact.”
Certain individuals have been deemed to have a higher chance of infection, according to SCPH:
- People with direct contact with individuals infected with the virus
- Men who have sex with men
- People who use street drugs whether they are injected or not
- People who are incarcerated
- People experiencing homelessness
- People who have traveled to other areas of the U.S. currently experiencing outbreaks
Symptoms of the virus can include yellow skin or eyes, fatigue, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, dark urine, joint pain, nausea, vomiting and fever.
"Vaccination is the most effective way to prevent hepatitis A infection," according to SCPH.
For more information on hepatitis A you can visit:
