INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indiana State Department of Health is reporting the first Hoosier death related to a multi-state outbreak of hepatitis A.
Hepatitis A is a highly contagious disease of the liver that is commonly transmitted from person to person through fecal-oral routes or by consuming contaminated food or water.
The outbreak has sickened nearly 4,000 people in 10 different states and has resulted in multiple fatalities nationwide.
READ | Health officials say hepatitis A is on the rise in Indiana
No additional details about the Hoosier death will be released due to privacy laws.
“This heartbreaking loss of life illustrates how serious this outbreak is, and I urge Hoosiers to practice good handwashing and to get vaccinated, especially if they fall into a high-risk population,” said Indiana State Health Commissioner Kris Box, M.D., FACOG. “We are working with our local and federal health partners to slow the spread of hepatitis A in our state, but this disease is highly contagious and can spread rapidly, so prevention is critical.”
Since November 2017, the state's department of health has confirmed 214 outbreak-related cases of hepatitis A.
Common symptoms of hepatitis A include:
- diarrhea
- yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice)
- nausea
- vomiting
- fatigue
- stomach pain
- fever
- dark colored urine
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