CLARK COUNTY, Ohio (WCMH) — Two deaths related to hepatitis A have been confirmed in Clark County, a release from the Clark County Combined Health District Thursday said.
“The heartbreaking loss of these lives illustrates the seriousness of this outbreak, and we urge Clark County residents to practice good handwashing and to get vaccinated, especially if they fall into a high-risk population,” said Charles Patterson, Clark County Health Commissioner. “We are working with our local and state partners to slow the spread of hepatitis A, but this disease is highly contagious and can spread rapidly, so prevention is critical.”
A statewide hepatitis A outbreak was declared in 2018. From January 2018 to February 11, 2019, Ohio saw 1,657 cases of hepatitis A according the Ohio Health Department. CCCHD has investigated 43 cases of hepatitis A in the county.
Sixty percent of those people with the virus in Ohio were hospitalized, and five people have died.
Hepatitis A vaccinations are available from local health departments, healthcare providers and retail pharmacies. The vaccines are typically covered by insurance.
The CDC says the vaccine is effective if given within the first two weeks after exposure. Symptoms of hepatitis A include fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dark urine, diarrhea, clay-colored stool, joint pain, and jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes). If symptoms occur, the CDC says they usually start appearing four weeks after exposure, but can occur as early as two and as late as seven weeks after the initial exposure. Symptoms develop usually over a period of several days.