State hepatitis A outbreak draws warnings
Health officials are warning Missourians of a hepatitis A outbreak that MIGHT become worse.
Hepatitis A is a viral illness that affects the liver and can cause flu-like symptoms. Officials say more than 400 cases of hepatitis A have been reported statewide.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services is urging at-risk population to get vaccinated.
Officials say from Sept. 15, 2017 through Tuesday, 414 hepatitis A outbreak-associated cases have been confirmed in 35 Missouri counties. Of the cases reported, there have been 233 hepatitis A outbreak-associated hospitalizations and two deaths.
Two of the cases are in Audrain County, one in Callaway, one was in Gasconade and one was in Phelps.
Officials say most people who get hepatitis A feel sick for several weeks, but they usually recover completely and do not have lasting liver damage. But in rare cases, hepatitis A can cause liver failure and death.
According to the health department, anyone in the United States can contract hepatitis A, however, people who are most at risk for contracting hepatitis A are:
People who have direct contact with someone who has hepatitis A Travelers who go to countries where hepatitis A is common People who participate in sexual intercourse which involves fecal matter or blood People who use drugs, both injection and non-injection drugs People with clotting factor disorders, such as hemophilia People working with nonhuman primates
Officials urge anyone who has been exposed or thinks they might have been exposed to hepatitis A to call a doctor or local health department. Symptoms include fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting.
Officials say hepatitis A is not a chronic illness like hepatitis B and C, and there are preventative vaccines.
The Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services offers hepatitis A vaccinations on a walk-in basis (no appointment needed) Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
For more information go to https://health.mo.gov.
Stay with ABC 17 News for more information on this developing story.
