More cases of hepatitis A expected in Martin County, according to health report

MARTIN COUNTY — More cases of hepatitis A are expected to arise in Martin County because of a statewide outbreak. 

There have been "multiple introductions of hepatitis A virus into Martin County," according to a report from the Martin County Department of Health.

More than half of the 19 people infected with hepatitis A in Martin County are men, with 42% of them over the age of 60.

Martin County Commissioner Edward Ciampi posted this and other information on the local hepatitis A outbreak on Facebook, citing the Martin County Department of Health.

The report noted eight people infected with the virus are older than 60. Eight others are between the ages of 30 and 49. The other three are between 20 and 29.

Renay Rouse, the state health department's Martin County spokeswoman, said the report was sent to health officials in the county and state, as well as local agencies, but was not intended to be released to the public.

Hepatitis A is a highly contagious disease that attacks the liver. The majority of the people who get the virus have flu-like symptoms — such as nausea, vomiting and fevers — but recover within a week or two. It's unusual for the virus to cause death.

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As of Thursday morning, the number of confirmed cases in Martin County, 19, and deaths, three in Palm City, had not changed since April 12.

St. Lucie County has two cases and there are none in Indian River County.

Ten of the 811 reported cases of hepatitis A in Florida since Jan. 1 were fatal.

Five people who were infected in the county used drugs, were homeless or had traveled internationally, the report said.

"For the outbreak in Martin County, no common shared activities, including restaurants, have been identified at this time," the report said.

Jeffrey Kirsch and his wife, Nancy Kirsch, both 62, were found dead in their Palm City home March 28. Lee Collins, 61, died March 31. The cause of death for all was "complications of hepatitis A."

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Dr. Roger Mittleman, chief medical examiner on the Treasure Coast, said he's never seen a couple die from hepatitis A around the same time. He said Jeffrey Kirsch also tested positive for hepatitis B, but it's unclear whether hepatitis B adversely affected him.

"It's hard to say if he had any effect from the hepatitis B, many people are carriers. He had a heart bypass operation years ago, and it's conceivable that this (hepatitis B) is the result of a transfusion (from an operation)," he said.

Hepatitis B is an infection that can cause scarring of the liver and can lead to death if not treated. People can get the infection through sexual contact, sharing needles, transfusions, or it can be passed down to a person when they're born. 

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Mittleman said looking at Nancy's autopsy, he doesn't believe there was an underlying condition that made the hepatitis A infection so severe.

The couple both showed signs of jaundice and did not have alcohol or drugs in their bodies when they died, according to their autopsy reports.

A total of 140 people have died in the United States since a hepatitis A outbreak started in 2016, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

More:What we don't know about the hepatitis A outbreak in Martin County