Health officials warn of hepatitis A outbreak in New Hampshire

Health officials are seeing a "significant increase" in the number of people in New Hampshire diagnosed with hepatitis A, according to the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services.

The department's Division of Public Health Services called the rate at which cases are being reported "concerning," with 33 diagnoses made in March alone.

The division said 79 people have been diagnosed with hepatitis A since last November, compared to an average of 6-7 people annually in recent years.

The cases diagnosed since November have reached eight counties, with 36 cases in Hillsborough County, 17 in Strafford County, 10 in Rockingham County, 10 in Merrimack County, two in Cheshire County, two in Grafton County, one in Sullivan County and one in Carroll County.

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The division said one person from Merrimack County has died.

“Hepatitis A is spread by unknowingly getting the virus in your mouth after touching or eating items that are contaminated with small amounts of stool from an infected person,” said Beth Daly, Chief of the Bureau of Infectious Disease Control. "Hepatitis A can also spread from close personal contact with an infected person or caring for someone who is ill."

Daly said the disease is preventable "with a safe and effective vaccine, which she said is vitial to stopping the outbreak.

"People at high risk for infection should talk with their healthcare provider about getting vaccinated," Daly said.

The department said people at highest risk of contracting the virus are:

•    people with direct contact with someone with hepatitis A
•    people using injection or non-injection recreational drugs, including marijuana
•    people experiencing homelessness or with unstable housing (e.g. "couch surfing")
•    gay and bisexual men 
•    people with ongoing, close contact with high-risk individuals

Symptoms of the disease include fever, tiredness, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dark urine, clay-colored bowel movements, joint pain and jaundice, which is the yellowing of the skin and eyes.

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The department said 18 states have declared an outbreak of the disease, with more than 15,000 cases and 140 deaths reported in the United States.

Cox Media Group