Florida - Increasing Number of Hepatitis A Cases Reported

In Florida, there is an steadily increasing number of Hepatitis A cases.  In January of this year, 189 Hepatitis A cases were reported.  Most of the activity has been in central Florida,  In one case, a Disney food service worker was infected.  (Disney has been vaccinating employees).

Florida Department of Health
http://www.floridahealth.gov/diseases-and-conditions/vaccine-preventable-disease/hepatitis-a/index.html
Hepatitis A Surveillance
January 2019


The number of reported hepatitis A cases steadily increased each month since April 2018 and remained above the previous 5-year average in January 2019. The number of cases reported in January increased from the previous month.

From January 1, 2019 through January 31, 2019, 189 hepatitis A cases were reported in 26 counties.
The number of reported hepatitis A cases more than doubled from 2016 to 2017 after remaining relatively stable in previous years. Case counts in January 2019 are higher than those seen in January of previous years, as noted by the white bar in the figure.
The 189 hepatitis A cases in January were reported in the 26 counties outlined in black. The central Florida region had the highest hepatitis A activity levels. Since January 1, 2018, 97% of cases have likely been acquired locally in Florida.


The best way to prevent hepatitis A infection is through vaccination.Since January 1, 2018, 97% of people with hepatitis A had never received a documented dose of hepatitis A vaccine. In January 2019, 95% of infected people had not received the vaccine. Hepatitis A vaccine is recommended for all children at age 1 year and for certain high-risk groups of adults including illegal drug users and men who have sex with men. To learn more about the hepatitis A vaccine, talk to your doctor or visit: CDC's Vaccine Information Statements webpage.