DENVER — One person has died in relation to a hepatitis A outbreak first reported in Colorado nearly one year ago, health officials said on Thursday.
The person, who has only been described as a Denver resident, had risk factors consistent with those experienced by others in the outbreak, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE).
Since October 2018, there have been 163 outbreak cases of the disease and 120 hospitalizations related to it. Dr. Rachel Herlihy, the state's communicable disease epidemiologist, said normally Colorado sees about 20 cases of Hepatitis A each year.
Hepatitis A is a liver infection that can be caused by a virus. It is highly contagious and can cause liver disease that can last anywhere from a few weeks to a few months, but rarely results in death.
“Deaths from hepatitis A are rare, but they can occur, especially when people who have other medical conditions get the disease,” said Herlihy. “This unfortunate death reminds us that the critical work our local public health agencies have been doing to vaccinate at-risk populations must continue. This outbreak is not over.”
On Monday, Sept. 9, an inmate at the Downtown Detention Center tested positive for the disease. As a precaution, the Denver Sheriff Department moved several other inmates there to different units.
"Upon guidance from Denver Health, three housing units will have minimal movement at the Downtown Detention Center," the Denver Sheriff Department said. "The individuals in these units are not symptomatic, and they have all been offered the vaccine."
And on Tuesday, Sept. 10, a Jefferson County jail inmate was diagnosed with hepatitis A after complaining of stomach pain, according to a release from Jefferson County Public Health.
Nurses have since administered post-exposure vaccinations to inmates who may have come into contact with the affected inmate since that inmate was booked into jail in early August, the department said.
The inmate, who is still hospitalized, is serving a 60-day sentence and is scheduled to be released in late September, according to the department.
In July, Denver health officials announced they were ramping up education and outreach efforts for hepatitis A after a handful of new cases were diagnosed in the city. Efforts included increasing access to free vaccinations for people at homeless shelters and increased educational messaging through printed materials and targeted digital advertising.
Dr. Tammy Clarke, the Director of Wellness at the St. Francis Center, said they have instilled new policies.
"We increased our frequency of cleaning like highly-used objects that our guests and our staff use like phones, the doorknobs, light switches," Clarke said.
The center is also hosting a vaccine clinic on Friday for anyone who wants to come in.
"Coming from a medical background, I really wanted to put our best efforts forth to help our community members," Clarke said. "A lot of them are already ill with chronic health issues. They're medically fragile."
Hepatitis A can be spread through fecal-oral contamination, sharing needles, or through intimate contact with someone who is ill. Symptoms include jaundice, nausea, cola-colored urine, and fatigue, CDPHE said.
According to the CDPHE, the majority of cases in the outbreak have occurred in El Paso County, but cases have also been reported in Arapahoe, Boulder, Denver, Douglas, Fremont, Jefferson and Pueblo counties.
Since the outbreak, more than 8,000 high-risk people in Colorado have been vaccinated, according to CDPHE.
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