BEDFORD — The number of hepatitis A cases is holding steady, according to a weekly report by the Indiana State Department of Health.
In Friday’s report, Lawrence County reports 50 confirmed cases. There have been 439 confirmed cases in the state with 191 hospitalizations.
Wayne County reports the highest number of confirmed cases with 94, followed by Clark County with 73. Lawrence County is third, followed by Floyd County with 45, Allen County with 23, Washington County with 19, Orange County with 15, Harrison County with 14, Marion County with 11, Fayette County with nine, Elkhart County with eight, Jackson and Vanderburgh counties with seven, Crawford, Grant and Kosciusko counties each with six and Monroe County with five.
The state has been tracking the outbreak of hepatitis A since Nov. 1, 2017. In a typical year, the state reports an average of 20 cases.
To control the outbreak, 63,572 vaccines have been issued by the state, with 2,898 given in Lawrence County.
Anyone concerned about exposure to the hepatitis A virus is encouraged to receive the vaccine. Additionally, the public is encouraged to wash their hands with soap and water after going to the bathroom, after changing diapers and before preparing meals.
Symptoms of hepatitis A include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, tiredness, stomach ache, fever, dark-colored urine, light-colored stool and jaundice. Symptoms may take as many as 50 days to appear. Anyone experiencing symptoms should not attend work or school and contact their health care provider.