The San Diego County Health and Human Service Agency on Tuesday increased the case count in the county's ongoing hepatitis A outbreak to 507, marking a 17-case uptick from the week prior.
Additionally, the county increased the outbreak's death toll by one and hospitalizations by nine, bringing the totals to 19 and 351, respectively. Health department officials have been investigating the outbreak, which has primarily affected the county's homeless and illicit drug user populations, since early 2017. County health officials declared the outbreak a public health emergency Sept. 1.
While the increased case count seems to indicate the outbreak is spreading, it's difficult to know if this is true based upon the time it takes to officially confirm a case.
Wilma Wooten, MD, the San Diego County's public health officer and director of public health services, last week said her department had 47 cases under investigation, according to the Los Angeles Times. These cases are not added to the outbreak totals until the CDC finishes testing samples.
Santa Cruz County and Los Angeles County are both experiencing ongoing hepatitis A outbreaks, as well. As of Oct. 13, there were 71 cases reported in Santa Cruz County and 13 cases reported in Los Angeles County. Governor Jerry Brown, D-Calif. on Oct. 13 declared a state of emergency regarding the outbreaks.
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