Steep reduction in local cases of hepatitis A among people living homeless

October 29, 2021.Reading time 9 minutes.

On October 29, the Washington State Department of Health declared that the statewide hepatitis A outbreak appears to be over. We’re happy to announce that this reduction in hepatitis A cases is true locally, as well. Numbers of new hepatitis case reports locally are now lower than the numbers of cases seen prior to the start of the outbreak.

Update on Hepatitis A outbreak

May 4, 2020.Reading time 14 minutes.

April 2020 marks one year since we announced the first case of locally-acquired hepatitis A in a person living homeless in King County. We identified this case in the context of many cities and states across the country experiencing large outbreaks of hepatitis A among people living homeless or who use drugs.

New cases, including one death, in hepatitis A outbreak

January 9, 2020.Reading time 11 minutes.

While our community has been fortunate in that to-date we have not experienced an outbreak on the scale seen in other large cities and states across the country, we have seen a recent increase in hepatitis A cases in King County, including one death associated with hepatitis A.

Updates on Hepatitis A Outbreak

October 7, 2019.Reading time 9 minutes.

As we’ve reported previously on Public Health Insider, many urban areas in the United States have been grappling with hepatitis A outbreaks, especially among people living homeless and people who use drugs (injection and non-injection). Some states have seen hundreds or even thousands of cases, and a high proportion of these cases have resulted in […]

New hepatitis A case in King County matches previous case

July 30, 2019.Reading time 11 minutes.

UPDATE (08/14/19): The second of two suspected cases of hepatitis A that we had been tracking has been confirmed by laboratory testing. The current number of King County cases linked to the Washington state outbreak among people living homeless or who use drugs is now four. Any further updates to case counts will be online […]

Locally-acquired hepatitis A case in person living homeless

April 18, 2019.Reading time 9 minutes.

A King County man in his forties has been hospitalized with a confirmed case of hepatitis A, a highly contagious virus that can cause severe liver disease. The patient has been living without permanent housing and has a history of illicit drug use. Because he has not travelled outside King County during the period […]