XPost: alt.society.homeless, sac.politics, alt.california
XPost: alt.politics.homosexuality

A fifth person has died in San Diego County’s ongoing hepatitis
A outbreak — the state’s largest in two decades, public health
officials said Wednesday.

The outbreak started in November and has grown among the
region’s homeless population. There have been 228 confirmed
infections, including 161 people who had to be hospitalized,
according to the county’s Health and Human Services Agency.

The virus that causes the disease moves from person to person
through shared food, drink, drugs or other forms of close
contact. Health investigators have not discovered the source of
the outbreak, although they noted that poor sanitation is the
most likely culprit.

If left untreated, hepatitis A attacks the liver and can lead to
death.

According to the county’s latest update, about 70% of the
confirmed cases have involved homeless people. The health agency
has declined to make public the ages and genders of the five
people who have died.

Hepatitis A can be prevented through vaccination, and that has
been the agency’s main strategy for stopping the outbreak. Free,
county-run vaccination clinics have been offered since the
spring at certain nonprofit groups’ facilities where the
homeless receive services. In recent weeks, public health nurses
have expanded their participation in vaccination “foot teams,”
visiting people living everywhere from city streets to public
parks.

Public health experts said that in addition to getting
vaccinated, people should wash their hands for at least 20
seconds with soap and running water before eating and after
using the bathroom. People are also advised to avoid directly
touching bathroom door handles when exiting a public restroom
and avoid shared food, beverages or smoking materials.

County officials have indicated that they will pursue
installation of hand-washing stations and distribution of
sanitation kits for the homeless.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-sd-hepatitis-20170712-
story.html

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