Ten counties in Kentucky are currently under Hepatitis A outbreak status and will receive funds for vaccines, acting State Health Commissioner Dr. Jeffrey Howard said on Thursday.
As of Monday, 629 cases had been reported in the state since November 2017. The counties most affected by the outbreak are Jefferson, Hardin, Bullitt, Meade, Warren, McCracken, Montgomery, Greenup, Carter, and Boyd, according to media reports. Each local health department will receive funding from the state to purchase 1,000 doses of the Hep A vaccine.
Outbreak status is reached when five people in a county are diagnosed with the disease. Earlier this week, health officials recommended residents of Warren County over the age of one-year-old receive a Hep A shot.
Hepatitis A is a highly contagious liver disease and is spread when a person ingests the virus from objects, food, or drinks contaminated by small amounts of stool from an infected person.
Hepatitis A cases have now been reported in 41 of Kentucky’s 120 counties since the outbreak started, with six deaths blamed on the disease.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com or 270-259-6000
