The hepatitis A outbreak in Florida has hit 3,500 cases since it started in Jan. 2018 after reporting 62 cases last week.
From January 1, 2018 through November 2, 2019, 3,518 hepatitis A cases were reported, according to state health officials.
Since the beginning of this year, 2,970 cases have been reported with Pasco (402), Pinellas (375), Volusia (269), Orange (180) and Hillsborough Counties (152) reporting the most.
43 deaths have been reported through Sep. 30.
The following groups are at highest risk for acquiring HAV infection or developing serious complications from HAV infection and should be offered the hepatitis A vaccine to prevent or control an outbreak:
- People who use drugs (injection or non-injection)
- People experiencing unstable housing or homelessness
- Men who have sex with men (MSM)
- People who are, or were recently, incarcerated
- People with chronic liver disease, including cirrhosis, hepatitis B, or hepatitis C
