At least seven states across the United States are dealing with hepatitis A outbreaks. Not only is Kentucky home to the worst of those epidemics, but with almost 1,000 confirmed cases, it now has the worst recorded hepatitis A outbreak in the country.
Approximately half of the 969 patients come from Kentucky’s largest city, Louisville, where the hepatitis A outbreak was first detected in the fall. Over 500 hospitalizations have occurred in the state with 300 of them being in the Jefferson County city.
So far, Kentucky’s outbreak has resulted in six deaths. Compared to other states with a hepatitis A outbreak, Kentucky’s death rate is significantly lower. Dr. Jeffrey Howard, the Commissioner of Kentucky’s Department of Public Health, told WDRB that he believes that the high hospitalization rate contributed to the low death count. Currently, the state is hospitalizing almost 59 percent of hepatitis A patients.