Elected Officials release more info about Hep A
Martin County, Fl- Martin County Commissioner Ed Ciampi posted a report he received from the Health Department to his Facebook page. The report stated that over half of the 19 local people infected with Hepatitis A are men. 8 of the people are over the age of 60. 8 others are between 30 and 49 years old, while the remaining 3 are in their 20s. The report adds that no common shared activities, including restaurants, have been found at this time. Public information officer for the Florida Department of health in Martin County, Renay Rouse, said that the report was made for county and state officials, but was not intended to be released to the public.
State Reps Toby Overdorf and Marylynne Magar released a Facebook live video also of informing us of what was going on.
Officials in Martin County are continuing their efforts to end the Hepatitis A outbreak. Last night, the Florida Department of Health in Martin County extended their hours so that more people could come in and get the vaccine. Health officials say that within the first hour, about 100 people were vaccinated.
Hepatitis A has been a growing concern in the state of Florida for the past several years. Data shows that there were just over 100 reported cases each year from 2014 to 2016. That number doubled in 2017 to 276, and doubled again in 2018 to 548. And already through April 13th of this year, we’ve had 811 reported cases of Hepatitis A statewide. Officials say getting vaccinated is the best way to prevent a Hepatitis A infection. Also make sure to thoroughly wash your hands after using the bathroom and before preparing food.
https://www.facebook.com/FLRepTobyOverdorf/videos/620716465066716/
