18 Dead In San Diego County Hepatitis A Outbreak

SAN DIEGO COUNTY, CA – Another death and additional cases were reported Tuesday as a result of the hepatitis A outbreak in San Diego County, prompting the County Board of Supervisors to extend a local health emergency declaration.

According to the County Health and Human Services Agency, there have been 490 cases associated with the outbreak, including 18 deaths. A total of 342 people have been hospitalized.

A 62-year-old man in the North County coastal area was the latest victim. According to the agency, the man, who already had medical issues, was the first person from that part of the county to have died from the disease.

The agency traced the outbreak to last November, with just under two-thirds of the victims being either homeless and/or drug users.

Both the city and county of San Diego have proclaimed a local health emergency, with the San Diego County Board of Supervisors voting Tuesday to extend the declaration through Oct. 24. The board is required to review the need for continuing the declaration every 14 days.

The city and county have taken several steps to address the outbreak, including a stepped-up immunization campaign that has resulted in more than 68,500 people being vaccinated, the spraying of a sanitizing formula on streets and sidewalks, and the placement of portable hand-washing stations and restrooms in areas where the homeless congregate.

"At first glance, there is a sloping effect and it appears the numbers (of cases) are decreasing, but because we know there is a long incubation period, we expect that more cases will occur," said Dr. Wilma Wooten, the county public health officer. "In recent weeks, cases are reported about two to three per day."

Wooten told the supervisors that the county is expected to spend about $1.5 million a month in connection with the outbreak moving forward.

So far, the county has spent $3 million in response of the outbreak – with $2.5 million going to nurses and vaccines, and the rest covering the cost of sanitation efforts such as washing stations and hygiene kits.

The city of San Diego on Monday opened a 136-space tent camp in Golden Hill to provide a safe area for the homeless. The camp is in the parking lot of a city operations yard.

Critics contend that a shortage of shelter space for the homeless exacerbated the hepatitis A outbreak.

Hepatitis A is most commonly spread person-to-person through the fecal-oral route. The disease can be prevented by getting vaccinated.

County health officials said symptoms of hepatitis A include jaundice, fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dark urine and light-colored stools. Symptoms usually appear over several days and last less than two months. However, some people can be ill for as long as six months. Hepatitis A can also sometimes cause liver failure and death.

Hepatitis A vaccines are available at doctors' offices and clinics, as well as at some retail pharmacies. People without medical insurance can go to a county public health center to get vaccinated. For a list of locations, call 211 or visit www.sdiz.org.

RELATED:

• Hepatitis A Outbreak: San Diego Takes Steps To Educate Public
• Hepatitis A Outbreak In L.A. Co.: Health Officials Puzzled Over Source
• Hepatitis A Outbreak Declared Emergency In San Diego County
• San Diego County Hepatitis A Outbreak: Fourth Person Dies
• Hepatitis A Outbreak: Hand-Washing Stations Installed Around San Diego
• San Diego County Hepatitis A Outbreak Linked To Santa Cruz Strain

City News Service contributed to this report.

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