CALHOUN COUNTY, MI (WTVB) – The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services says the hepatitis A outbreak in the southeastern part of the state has spread into Calhoun County.
Three cases of the same strain of the illness have been confirmed in Calhoun County with one of the cases involving a person who lives there.
Health officials say 19 people have died in the outbreak so far with almost 500 cases of the virus documented in Michigan since August of last year.
Of the cases reported, 84% of those infected have been sent to the hospital.
Health officials say those figures are unusually high for most strains of hepatitis A.
The virus spreads through feces. Doctors say the best ways to prevent getting sick are to get vaccinated or wash your hands.
