Initial Outbreak Investigation (September–November 2021) Strengthening community partnerships between public health officials and organizations that employ persons with risk factors for acquisition of HAV could help to prevent infections and outbreaks. Increasing vaccination coverage among persons with risk factors for hepatitis A infection is important, including among those who use drugs. This report describes the initial outbreak and the ongoing community transmission of HAV. The initial outbreak and community transmission have exceeded US$3 million in estimated direct costs ( 4, 5). As of September 30, 2022,* an additional 98 cases had been reported to RCAHD. After the outbreak, the community experienced ongoing person-to-person transmission of HAV, predominantly among persons who use injection drugs. The outbreak, which resulted in 51 cases, 31 hospitalizations, and three deaths, was associated with a food handler who was infected. In September 2021, the Roanoke City and Alleghany Health Districts (RCAHD) in southwestern Virginia investigated an outbreak of hepatitis A. As of September 2022, 13 states were experiencing outbreaks, including Virginia ( 3). After years of historically low rates of hepatitis A in the United States, the incidence began increasing in 2016, with outbreaks characterized by person-to-person HAV transmission among persons who use drugs, persons experiencing homelessness, and men who have sex with men ( 2, 3). All adults 18 years and older should get screened at least once in their lifetime.Hepatitis A is a vaccine-preventable liver infection caused by the hepatitis A virus (HAV) it is transmitted through ingestion of food or drink that has been contaminated by small amounts of infected stool, or through direct contact, including sexual contact, with a person who is infected ( 1). All adults aged 18-59 should receive the vaccine and any adult who requests it may get the vaccine. The best way to prevent hepatitis B is to get vaccinated. By contrast, almost all children 6 years and older and adults infected with the hepatitis B virus recover completely and do not develop chronic infection. About one in three children who get infected before age 6 will develop chronic hepatitis B. The risk goes down as a child gets older. About 9 in 10 infants who become infected go on to develop life-long, chronic infection. The younger a person is when infected with the hepatitis B virus, the greater the chance of developing chronic infection. Age plays a role in whether hepatitis B will become chronic. For others, it can become a long-term, chronic infection that can lead to serious, even life-threatening health issues like liver disease or liver cancer. For many people, hepatitis B is a short-term illness. Not all people newly infected with HBV have symptoms, but for those that do, symptoms can include fatigue, poor appetite, stomach pain, nausea, and jaundice. This can happen through sexual contact sharing needles, syringes, or other drug-injection equipment or during pregnancy or delivery. Hepatitis B is spread when blood, semen, or other body fluids from a person infected with the virus enters the body of someone who is not infected. Hepatitis B is a vaccine-preventable liver infection caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV).

Hepatitis a transmission rate