PICKAWAY – A large number of new cases of Hepatitis A cases have spread into Pickaway county according to the Ohio Department of Health Website. The Health Department relates this spread to a increase in cases linked to certain risk factors since the beginning of 2018. Outbreaks are not only in Ohio but neighboring states like Indiana, Kentucky, and Michigan.
Hepatitis A is a vaccine preventable liver disease and is usually spread from ingests fecal matter, usually microscopic amounts. This is from contact of anything the carrier has touched, with fecal matter on hands, and can be spread through sex.
People at increased risk for hepatitis A in this outbreak include:
People with direct contact with individuals infected with the virus
Men who have sex with men
People who use street drugs whether they are injected or not
People who are incarcerated
People experiencing homelessness
People who have traveled to other areas of the U.S. currently experiencing outbreaks
Pickaway has now confirmed a total of 57 new cases, Ross 68, and Franklin county 302.
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