Kentucky/Louisville
Since August 1, 2017, the Kentucky Department for Public Health (DPH) has identified 884 cases of acute hepatitis A. Of the 884 cases, 525 patients were hospitalized and six died.
The increase in cases, primarily among the homeless and drug users, prompted a declaration of a statewide outbreak in Nov. 2017.
Viral sequencing has linked several outbreak-associated cases in Kentucky with outbreaks in California and Utah.
Louisville has seen a large portion of the cases statewide with 478, including 3 deaths. In fact, there have been cases of hepatitis A in every Louisville ZIP code.
More than 60 percent of the 478 people who have had hepatitis A have been hospitalized.
While the outbreak is largely centered in people who use drugs (any kind of drug use, not just injecting) and people who are homeless, 1 out of 8 cases report no risk factors.
Arkansas
In an update on the hepatitis A outbreak in Northeast Arkansas, health officials report an additional dozen cases, bringing the total to 48 since February.
Cases have been reported in Clay, Greene, Craighead, Randolph and Lawrence counties.
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