1 dead in Arkansas' hep A outbreak

The Arkansas Department of Health is urging residents to get vaccinated for hepatitis A amid an outbreak in the northeast part of the state, according to Arkansas Online.

The state has reported 60 hepatitis A cases since February and one death. All cases occurred in adults. Eighty percent of reported cases in Arkansas have been attributed to Greene County.The state Department of Health will offer the hepatitis A vaccine free of charge to Greene County residents at two locations in Paragould, Ark., on July 26 and 27. Residents between age 19 and 60 are strongly urged to get vaccinated.

Arkansas joins the ranks of several other states affected by A outbreaks, such as Tennessee and Kentucky.

"There are hep A outbreaks happening across the United States, and some of them currently include hundreds of people," said  Dirk Haselow, MD, PhD, state epidemiologist and medical director of outbreak response. "We have the benefit of being able to look at what other states are doing to help us manage our own outbreak. We believe that taking this step will help curb this outbreak and keep people from getting sick."

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