WASHINGTON – ‘Hepatitis A’ infections have soared among adults across the U.S. over the last couple of years to nearly 300 percent, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Researchers at the CDC analyzed reported cases through the national notifiable diseases surveillance system between 2013 to 2018.
What they found was an unprecedented spike in the vaccine-preventable illness.
The director for the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Disease says the nation has a vaccination schedule that is set up to provide long-term protection against a variety of diseases.
‘Hepatitis A’ is a disease of the liver that’s caused by a virus.
That virus can be transmitted by eating contaminated food, sexual contact, or through drug use.
Most people who get ‘hepatitis a’ don’t experience lasting liver damage. But, there are rare cases where the virus can cause liver failure and even death.
According to the CDC, since 2016, there have been more than 8,000 hospitalizations and at least 140-hepatitis related deaths nationwide.
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