Since the outbreaks were first identified in 2016, 37 states have publicly reported the following as of August 5, 2022:

            •          Cases: 44,436

            •          Hospitalizations: 27,163 (61%)

            •          Deaths: 424

According to the CDC, when hearing about hepatitis A, many people think about contaminated food and water. However, in the United States, hepatitis A is more commonly spread from person to person. Since March 2017, CDC’s Division of Viral Hepatitis (DVH) has been assisting multiple state and local health departments with hepatitis A outbreaks, spread through person-to-person contact.

The hepatitis A vaccine is the best way to prevent hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection:

•          The following groups are at highest risk for acquiring HAV infection or developing serious complications from HAV infection in these outbreaks and should be offered the hepatitis A vaccine in order to prevent or control an outbreak:

            ◦           People who use drugs (injection or non-injection)

            ◦           People experiencing unstable housing or homelessness 

            ◦           Men who have sex with men (MSM)

            ◦           People who are currently or were recently incarcerated 

            ◦           People with chronic liver disease, including cirrhosis, hepatitis B, or hepatitis C

•          One dose of single-antigen hepatitis A vaccine has been shown to control outbreaks of hepatitis A.1,2.