Hepatitis A cases up sharply in Pennsylvania

State health officials are raising the alarm about a sharp increase in Hepatitis A cases in Pennsylvania.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were between 43 and 62 cases of the contagious liver disease reported in Pennsylvania in recent years. But that number has jumped to 91 so far this year, including 18 in Southwestern Pennsylvania, state records show.

“Hepatitis A is a highly contagious infection that can be very serious.” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said Friday in a prepared statement. “A conversation with your physician will help determine if you should receive a Hepatitis A vaccine.”

Outbreaks have been reported in other states, including West Virginia and Ohio.

According to the CDC, of the more than 2,500 person-to-person Hepatitis A infections reported nationally from January 2017 to April 2018, risk factors were known in more than 1,900 cases. Almost 70 percent of the latter number involved patients who said they were homeless or used drugs.

Pennsylvania officials said they also are concerned about the disease spreading among men who have sex with men.

The disease typically spreads when the virus is ingested from objects, food or drinks contaminated by small, undetectable amounts of stool from an infected person. Hepatitis A can also spread from close personal contact with an infected person, such as through sex or caring for someone who is ill.

Hepatitis A infections can range from mild ones that last a few weeks to severe ones that can last for months, the CDC notes. In rare cases, an infection can cause liver failure and death.

Symptoms of the disease include fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dark urine, diarrhea, clay-colored stool, joint pain and jaundice.

Visit health.pa.gov for more information.

Jeff Himler is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jeff at 724-836-6622, jhimler@tribweb.com or via Twitter @jhimler_news.