PICKAWAY – A large number of new cases of Hepatitis A cases have spread into Pickaway, and Ross county according to the Ohio Department of Health Website. The Health Department relates this spread to an 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 in microscopic amounts. This is from the 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 75 new cases and Ross 85. That puts Ross county at 9th in the State and Pickaway 14th, Fairfield county 15th, out of 88 Counties. Franklin County leads the outbreak at 472 confirmed cases.
