More than 1,600 hepatitis A cases reported during Ohio outbreak

CLEVELAND, OH (WOIO) - The Ohio Department of Health has declared a statewide community outbreak of hepatitis A after an increase in reported cases since the beginning of 2018.

Since January 2018 to Feb. 11, 2019, there have been at least 1,657 cases of hepatitis A reported in Ohio. Five deaths have been linked to the statewide outbreak.

Hepatitis A is a contagious liver disease that is spread by ingesting food or fluids contaminated with feces.

According to the Ohio Department of Health, people at increased risk for hepatitis A during the multi-state outbreak include:

People with direct contact with individuals infected with the virus
Men who have sex with men
People who use street drugs whether they are injected or not
People who are incarcerated
People experiencing homelessness
People who have traveled to other areas of the United States currently experiencing outbreaks.

An infection can last for several months with symptoms including fatigue, jaundice, joint pain, abdominal pain, vomiting, fever, dark urine, and pale stool.