Santa Cruz County declares end to hep A outbreak
Santa Cruz County has officially declared and end to the hepatitis A outbreak that began afflicting local patients in April 2017.
Overall, Santa Cruz County saw 76 confirmed cases of hepatitis A, including one death where hepatitis A was a contributing factor. To address the outbreak, the County conducted widespread outreach with the public, local businesses and impacted populations, consulted with top state public health officials and held several free vaccine clinics.
“I’d like to thank the public and especially our staff, who worked extraordinarily hard to prevent this outbreak from becoming even worse,” Public Health officer Dr. Arnold Leff said. “To prevent future outbreaks, it is imperative that we maintain public awareness and our sanitation infrastructure. We also urge people at risk of contracting hepatitis A, including drug users and people who live in unsanitary conditions, or individuals who have sexual contact with those populations, to seek vaccinations through their medical provider or a local safety-net clinic.”
Hepatitis A is spread through person-to-person contact and is potentially fatal for medically vulnerable persons. Through January, there have been 1,577 cases across three states, including 45 deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Health officials say a deadly California outbreak of hepatitis A may take a year or more to abate.
The liver-damaging illness has infected at least 568 people since last November, chiefly in San Diego, Santa Cruz and Los Angeles counties.
Most cases and all 17 deaths occurred in San Diego County. The Los Angeles Times reported the outbreak spread to 70 people in Santa Cruz County. Experts believe the highly contagious disease was spread by transients there to homeless populations around the state.
Although vaccination programs and other measures are underway, experts said it’s unlikely the worst is over.
Dr. Monique Foster of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it’s not unusual for such outbreaks to last one to two years.
