In a follow-up on the hepatitis A outbreak in Florida, state health officials reported 100 cases in the month of November.

Image/FLDOH
Image/FLDOH

This brings the total this year to 413 in 30 counties. The central Florida region has the highest hepatitis A activity levels so far this year. In 2018, 95% of cases have likely been acquired locally in Florida.

Two fatalities have been reported.

Twenty percent of cases are linked to each other and nearly one-quarter of cases had co-infection with hepatitis B or C.

Cases likely acquired in Florida share several common risk factors including drug use (both injection and non-injection drugs), identifying as men who have sex with men, and experiencing homelessness.

The number of reported hepatitis A cases more than doubled from 2016 to 2017 after remaining relatively constant in previous years. Case counts in 2018 have exceeded those seen in previous years.

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Health officials report so far in 2018, 98% of people with hepatitis A had never received a documented dose of hepatitis A vaccine. In November, 95% of infected people had not received the vaccine.

Individuals with any of these risk factors should receive the hepatitis A vaccine, and providers are encouraged to actively offer the hepatitis A vaccine to individuals at risk. Vaccination is the best way to prevent hepatitis A infection.

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