New Warning As NJ Hepatitis A Outbreak Kills 6; 308 Hospitalized

NEW JERSEY – State health officials have issued a new warning about an outbreak of hepatitis A that's expanded, infecting 500 people in New Jersey and hitting many counties hard. It's also popped up in some unexpected places – including a Dunkin' Donuts, a golf club and a food store.

Six people have died, 308 people have been hospitalized and 500 cases have been reported, according to the New Jersey Department of Health. The disease has been identified in 21 New Jersey counties (see list, locations and numbers of cases below).

The DOH warned people this weekend about a confirmed case of hepatitis A in North Jersey. The case involves a food handler employed at a food store who worked while he or she was potentially infectious between Sept. 30 and Oct. 5, according to a NJDOH release. Read more: Hepatitis A Case At North Jersey Food Store: Officials

The 500 cases, meanwhile, have been detected since the outbreak began in December – a sharp increase over last year, when 64 people were infected during the same time period, Dec. 1 through Oct. 5.

The New Jersey Department of Health says the hepatitis A cases have been observed in those without "risk factors:" homelessness, drug use, incarceration and "men who have sex with men."

Twenty-three people were infected with Hepatitis A after a Mendham golf club employee came to work sick, New Jersey Department of Health Officials said. Read more: 23 Sickened In Hepatitis A Outbreak At Mendham Twp. Golf Club

Two men who say they were sickened during the Hepatitis A outbreak at the golf club are suing the club for a combined $9 million. Read more: $9M Lawsuit Filed Against Mendham Golf Club After Hep A Outbreak

Campers at a North Jersey summer camp also might have been exposed to hepatitis A, the Sussex County Department of Health warned. Read more: Campers At North Jersey Camp Exposed To Hepatitis A

Also, earlier this year, a worker at a Dunkin' Donuts in Ocean City was diagnosed with hepatitis A, the Cape May County Health Department and New Jersey Department of Health announced. Read more: Hepatitis A Notice Involving Ocean City Dunkin' Donuts: Officials

And a letter was recently sent home to parents of more than 1,300 students at Nottingham High School-North in Hamilton Township in Mercer County informing them of the potential exposure of hepatitis A, according to NJ101.5.

Here is where the disease has been diagnosed, along with the number of cases:

• Atlantic 16
• Bergen 21
• Burlington 35
• Camden 128
• Cape May 4
• Cumberland 18
• Essex 12
• Gloucester 61
• Hudson 7
• Hunterdon 2
• Mercer 44
• Middlesex 5
• Monmouth 8
• Morris 27
• Ocean 14
• Passaic 38
• Salem 22
• Somerset 2
• Sussex 3
• Union 3
• Warren 2

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has also been investigating the outbreak that has hit 30 states.

In New Jersey, the state Department of Health has supplied hundreds of vaccines to several health departments to immunize uninsured or underinsured individuals at risk of the liver disease, according to a department release.

The virus is typically transmitted from person-to-person when it is ingested from objects, food or drinks contaminated by a stool from an infected person, according to the release.

This can happen when infected people do not wash their hands properly after using the bathroom and then touch food or items that are shared with others.

Hepatitis A can also spread from close personal contact with an infected person, such as through sex or caring for someone who is ill, according to the release.

Most adults with hepatitis A have symptoms, including fatigue, low appetite, stomach pain, nausea and jaundice, that usually resolve within 2 months of infection; most children less than 6 years of age do not have symptoms or have an unrecognized infection, according to the CDC.

For more information about hepatitis A, visit https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/hepatitisa.shtml or https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/hav/index.htm

Vaccinations being offered at the several locations are only for individuals who are uninsured or underinsured. Individuals with insurance should go to their primary care physician.