LOUISVILLE, Ky. (LEX 18) — Louisville health officials say another person has died of complication related to a hepatitis A infection.
Dave Langdon at Louisville Metro Health says this marks the fifth fatality from the infectious disease in Jefferson County.
The death is the the ninth attributed to hepatitis A across the commonwealth since the outbreak took hold last November.
The state has also reported more than 1,300 infections and over 750 hospitalizations.
Officials have said Kentucky’s outbreak is the worst in the nation. The outbreak remains centered primarily among those who use illegal drugs and among the homeless; however, about 10 percent of cases do not fall into either of those groups.
The disease is spread through contact with fecal matter and poor hygiene.
