Hepatitis A Death Confirmed In North Carolina

NORTH CAROLINA — An ongoing outbreak of Hepatitis A in North Carolina has claimed the life of at least one person, according to state health officials. While officials with North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services would not divulge details about the fatality due to privacy concerns, such as where it occurred, it was reported the death occurred in October.

Hepatitis A is a highly contagious liver disease spread through a virus and can last for weeks to months. It spreads through the fecal-oral route, typically due to forgetting to wash your hands after using the bathroom or changing diapers, through eating contaminated foods or by having sexual contact with an infected person.

In the case of a recent outbreak in North Carolina, health officials say the cases have primarily occurred in risk groups that include people who use injection or non-injection drugs, the homeless and homosexual men.

“The best way to protect yourself against hepatitis A is through vaccination,” Dr. Heidi Swygard, viral hepatitis medical director in DHHS’ Division of Public Health, said in a statement Tuesday. “Good handwashing is also important, especially after using the bathroom, changing diapers and before preparing or eating food. Anyone who thinks they may have been infected or exposed should seek medical attention.”

In June, a statewide outbreak of Hepatitis A was linked to an employee of a west Charlotte Hardee's, according to Mecklenburg County health officials, who urged anyone who ate at the restaurant during a 10-day span that month get vaccinated immediately.

The employee of the restaurant located at 2604 Little Rock Road in Charlotte was diagnosed with Hepatitis A on June 25, according to Public Health Director Gibbie Harris. At the time, the employee's case was one of five new cases in Mecklenburg County in a matter of weeks, prompting state health officials and the Center for Disease Control to declare an outbreak of the liver disease in the county.

SEE ALSO: If You Ate At This Hardee's, You Might Need A Hepatitis A Shot

There have been 37 confirmed cases related to the ongoing outbreak of Hepatitis A in North Carolina since Jan. 1, with 20 of them reported in Mecklenburg County, according to state health officials.

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Between 2013 and 2017, about 41 cases of hepatitis A were reported in the state on average, but that number has ballooned to 64 cases this year due to the ongoing outbreak. “Of those 64 cases, 37 have been connected to the ongoing outbreak,” with more that 70 percent requiring hospitalization, state health officials said.

According to public health officials, high-risk factors for Hepatitis A include:

• Those who are household members, caregivers, or have sexual contact with someone who is infected with hepatitis A
• Men who have sexual encounters with other men
• Those who use recreational drugs, whether injected or not
• Recent travel from countries where hepatitis A is common
• Homeless individuals who do not have easy access to handwashing facilities

Symptoms of Hepatitis A include nausea, fever, yellowing of the eyes and skin, dark urine, grey feces, joint pain, feeling tired, loss of appetite and stomach pain. According to health officials, the best prevention — aside from a vaccination — is through washing hands under warm, soapy water for at least 20 seconds after using the bathroom and before preparing food.

You can find more information about Hepatitis A here.

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