The Kentucky Department for Public Health (KDPH) reported three additional hepatitis A cases during the first week of 2018, bringing the outbreak total to 62 since the beginning of 2017.
Of this total, 51 of the patients required hospitalization for their illness.
An increase in cases since August 1, 2017, primarily among individuals who were homeless or drug users, prompted the declaration of a statewide outbreak in November 2017. Viral sequencing has linked several outbreak-associated cases in Kentucky with outbreaks in California and Utah.
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KDPH is working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local health departments to provide guidance and education to health professionals and at-risk populations. Treatment for acute hepatitis A generally involves supportive care, with specific complications treated as appropriate. Hepatitis A is a vaccine-preventable disease.
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