Officials: First death related to hepatitis A confirmed in NC

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services confirmed the first death on Tuesday related to an ongoing outbreak of hepatitis A affecting parts of North Carolina.

Posted 7:57 p.m. Nov 6, 2018 — Updated 7:57 p.m. Nov 6, 2018

RALEIGH, N.C. — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services confirmed the first death on Tuesday related to an ongoing outbreak of hepatitis A affecting parts of North Carolina.

The death occurred in October, officials said. In an effort to protect the privacy of the family, additional details were not released.

Hepatitis A is a contagious and vaccine-preventable liver infection that can range from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a severe illness lasting several months to death. It is usually transmitted through food or water that has been contaminated with small, undetectable amounts of feces from a contagious person.

An average of 41 cases of hepatitis A were reported each year in North Carolina from 2013-2017, and a total of 64 cases have already been reported this year as of the end of October.

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