Hepatitis A cases twice the annual average

The number of cases of hepatitis A in Colorado so far this year is already double the yearly average, and health officials are urging more people to get vaccinated, especially if they are in a vulnerable population.

So far in 2017, the state Health Department has documented 54 cases of hepatitis A. One person has died from the illness.

“It’s not an outbreak that we think is due to a single point source” such as contaminated food or water, said Dr. Rachel Herlihy, the state epidemiologist.

Instead, Herlihy said the disease in Colorado is being spread person-to-person, mostly among men who have sex with other men. People who use injection drugs, people who are homeless, people who are traveling to countries where hepatitis A is common, and people with chronic liver disease are also especially vulnerable to the disease.

All of those most at risk of contracting hepatitis A should be vaccinated to prevent infection, Herlihy said. The vaccine is given in two doses six months apart. While children now routinely receive the vaccine, most adults have not, Herlihy said. Local health departments have programs to help people pay for vaccines if they cannot afford them.

Hepatitis A is a virus that spreads primarily through contact with tiny amounts of infected feces.

There is no direct treatment for the disease, but most people will recover after several weeks.