Health officials in Los Angeles County have declared a community-wide outbreak of hepatitis A following a sharp rise in cases, including among people with none of the traditional risk factors.
The outbreak, which began more than a year ago, has already resulted in seven deaths and is now being called the largest surge of the disease in the region in over a decade.
Newsweek has contacted the county’s Department of Public Health outside of regular hours for comment and additional updates.
Why It Matters
Hepatitis A is a highly contagious viral disease that can cause liver damage and, in severe cases, death. The virus is typically transmitted through contaminated food or drink, and is also found in the blood and stool of an infected person, so using drugs with, caring for, or having certain types of sexual contact with someone who is infected with the disease can spread infection.
Although unhoused individuals are at higher risk for contracting hepatitis A infection because they often have limited access to handwashing and toileting facilities, most new cases have been among individuals who are not homeless, have not traveled recently, and do not use illicit drugs.
What To Know
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said 165 hepatitis A cases were recorded in 2024, more than triple the number reported the previous year and the highest total seen in Los Angeles County in at least 10 years. A further 29 cases have been confirmed in the first three months of 2025, double the number from the same period last year. Officials believe these figures underrepresent the true scope of the outbreak, as many cases go undiagnosed.
“While the risk to the general public remains low, community-wide protection actions are needed to ensure that transmission of hepatitis A is reduced,” the department said.
Symptoms of hepatitis A include fever, nausea, fatigue, abdominal pain, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes) and dark urine.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that while most adults suffering from hepatitis A will exhibit symptoms, children may not.
While most patients recover, hepatitis A can result in liver failure, particularly among older adults or those with existing liver conditions.
The strain of the virus linked to this outbreak has been identified mostly in Los Angeles County, with a few cases also found in Orange and San Bernardino counties, Dr. Prabhu Gounder, medical director of the county’s viral hepatitis unit said, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The CDC recommends all children receive the hepatitis A vaccine at one or two years of age, and that unvaccinated older children and adults also get the two-dose series.
However, because California does not require hepatitis A vaccination for school or child care entry, many remain unvaccinated.
What People Are Saying
Dr. Sharon Balter, director of the county’s Division of Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, told the Los Angeles Times: “We definitely think that the outbreak is bigger than the numbers imply.”
Dr. Muntu Davis, the Los Angeles County health officer, said in a statement Monday: “The ongoing increase in hepatitis A cases signals that quick action is needed to protect public health. The hepatitis A vaccine is safe, effective, and offers long-term protection. Getting vaccinated is simple, and it’s one of the most important things you can do for your own health and the health of our entire community. It is also important for residents to wash their hands with soap and water regularly and especially before eating and preparing food and after using the bathroom.”
Dr. Stanley Lemon, a professor of medicine at the UNC School of Medicine, North Carolina, told Newsweek: “Community-wide, sustained outbreaks of hepatitis A have been associated in the past with homelessness and a resulting lack of sanitary toileting facilities, as well as transmission of the virus among persons who use drugs, or men who have sex with other men. However, the virus is very stable in the environment and once introduced into a household, it can often spread quite easily among other family members if they have not received the hepatitis A vaccine in the past. It’s difficult to predict how many more cases of hepatitis A may occur in Los Angeles County, but it is certainly worrisome that the virus is now being detected in wastewaters.”
Discussing what residents in Los Angeles should do to protect themselves, he said: “Good handwashing before preparing meals, and after visiting the toilet, and getting immunized if a person has not received the vaccine previously. Older persons are particularly at risk in the U.S., and unlikely to have been immunized. The vaccine has been proven to be safe and highly protective against the disease in multiple studies in which it was compared against a placebo (sham) injection.”
What Happens Next
Health officials are ramping up vaccination efforts and continuing to monitor wastewater to track the spread of the virus. They are especially encouraging vaccination among people experiencing homelessness and those who use drugs.
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