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Health District declares end to Hepatitis A outbreak

Posted at 12:58 PM, Jun 26, 2020
and last updated 2020-06-26 18:45:52-04

The Southern Nevada Health District is declaring an end to the Hepatitis A outbreak in Clark County.

The Health District first reported the Hepatitis A outbreak in June 2019.

PREVIOUS STORY: Acute Hepatitis A outbreak declared for Clark CountyNevada was one of more than 30 states that experienced an outbreak of hepatitis A associated with person-to-person transmission since 2016. Through case investigation and contact tracing, it was determined the first case associated with the outbreak in Clark County developed symptoms in November 2018.

Over the course of the outbreak, there were 107 outbreak-related cases, 94 hospitalizations, and one death.

The outbreak in Clark County was associated with person-to-person transmission of the virus, primarily among people who use drugs, people experiencing homelessness, and people with a history of recent incarceration.

In response to the outbreak, the Health District worked with partner agencies to administer hepatitis A vaccinations. Hepatitis A is a vaccine-preventable disease. More than 7,000 hepatitis A vaccinations were administered by the Health District and providers in the community to adults age 18 and older. The Health District’s vaccination efforts focused on high-risk individuals, including people living in homeless encampments and shelters and people being treated for substance use disorder.

Archived information on the outbreak and response is available on the Health District website.