Hepatitis A Outbreaks Flare Up Across U.S.

(Wall Street Journal) Arian Campo-Flores and Betsy McKay Oct. 4 2019 7:00 am Hepatitis A outbreaks are erupting across the U.S. reversing a long-term decline in cases of the viral liver disease and prompting state health departments to mount aggressive vaccination campaigns. Since outbreaks of the virus began in 2016 30 states have reported cases totaling more than 26000 including 268 deaths. Most cases of hepatitis A in past years were caused by tainted food. The virus is transmitted when a person ingests food or water contaminated with the feces of someone who is infected. But now outbreaks are larger and driven in part by the opioid epidemic that has swept the country in the past few decades public-health officials say. Cases also are occurring among users of other drugs including those who share contaminated needles people who are homeless and men who have sex with men. What were seeing today is really unusual" said Neil Gupta an expert in viral hepatitis at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The general public tends to think about hepatitis A as transmitted by restaurants. Thats not what is going on right now."