By NewsDesk @bactiman63
Ohio state health officials report the hepatitis A outbreak that started last year has grown to 2997 cases. This is the second most of any of the 24 states who battled or are currently battling an outbreak.
Only Kentucky has reported more (4682).
Six out of 10 cases required hospital case and 10 have died.
Franklin and Butler counties have seen more than 400 outbreak cases each. Ninety percent of Ohio counties have been affected.
The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) declared a statewide community outbreak in June 2018 after observing an increase in hepatitis A cases. The statewide community outbreak is spread through person-to-person contact.
The high-risk populations for hepatitis A in this outbreak include: People who use drugs (injection or non-injection), people experiencing unstable housing or homelessness, people who are currently or were recently incarcerated, men who have sex with men (MSM) and people with chronic liver disease, including cirrhosis, hepatitis B, or hepatitis C.
Symptoms of hepatitis A include fatigue, low appetite, stomach pain, nausea, clay-colored stools and jaundice. People with hepatitis A can experience mild illness lasting a few weeks to severe illness lasting several months.
There has been nearly 20,000 outbreak cases reported in the US since mid-2016, including 185 deaths.