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WEBVTT BY OPIOID ADDICTION. HEPATITIS A IS A SERIOUS, HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS LIVER DISEASE THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SAYS IS NOW AN EPIDEMIC IN LOUISIANA. SOME INDIVIDUALS WILL HAVE SYMPTOMS OF DIARRHEA, NAUSEA, VOMITING. OTHERS WILL PROGRESS DOWN THAT SPECTRUM OF MORE FULL LIVER FAILURE. AND THOSE INDIVIDUALS WOULD END UP IN THE E.R. JENNIFER: IT IS USUALLY SPREAD THROUGH FOOD CONTAMINATED WITH INFECTED FECES, BUT THIS OUTBREAK IS DIFFERENT. IT’S BEING DIRECTLY LINKED TO THE OPIOID CRISIS AND I.V. DRUG USE ESPECIALLY AMONG HOMELESS POPULATIONS THAT’S ACCORDING TO DOCTOR ALEX BILIOUS WITH THE LOUISIANA OFFICE OF PUBLIC HEALTH. >> LOUISIANA TRACKS THE HEP A NUMBERS YEAR TO YEAR AND REALLY. WE’VE SEEN THAT THE LAST YE OUR NUMBERS HAVE NEARLY TRIPLED. JENNIFER THERE ARE 24 CASES STATEWIDE RIGHT NOW, ACCORDING TO THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH. IN OUR AREA, OFFICIALS ARE TRACKING CASES OF HEPATITIS A IN ORLEANS PARISH, ST. TAMMANY, LIVINGSTON, ASCENSION, EAST, AND WEST BATON ROUGE PARISHES, THE STATE SAYS IT’S SENDING THOUSANDS OF VACCINES TO THE MOST AT RISK AREAS TO TRY TO ST THE SPREAD OF HEPATITIS A. >> THE VACCINE, ALONG WITH HANDWASHING, ARE C

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At least 24 cases of hepatitis A have been reported in the state, prompting Louisiana health officials to declare an outbreak.The Louisiana Department of Health issued the advisory Tuesday to raise the public's awareness about the disease.Officials said the recent cases have been reported in Morehouse Parish, but there have been some in other parts of the state.Hepatitis A is a highly contagious liver disease caused by the hepatitis A virus, which is found in the feces of people with the disease. The illness is spread by contaminated food or contaminated beverages, during sex or through close contact with an infected person, health officials said.Louisiana health officials have not identified a common pathway for the source of the virus, but transmission of the virus appears to be through direct person-to-person spread and illicit drug use, according to the advisory.People who are at risk are urged to get vaccinated for hepatitis A. Health officials said the advisory will also help coordinate federal, state and community resources.Health officials said people with a history of injection and non-injection drug use, homelessness or transient housing and incarceration are most at risk in the outbreak.New Orleans and Baton Rouge have been identified as high-risk areas."To address the outbreak, the department’s Office of Public Health has received one-time funding to purchase vaccine for the virus and is working with partner organizations to provide services to people experiencing homelessness or drug use -- two of the most at-risk groups for hepatitis A,” said Dr. Frank Welch, immunization director for the Louisiana Department of Health.Click here for more information about hepatitis A in Louisiana.Health officials in the state said the outbreak was declared as a national outbreak continues, since 2016. States have increased vigilance and coordination with federal and community entities.Symptoms of hepatitis A include nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, feeling tired and loss of appetite. People can also have yellowing of the skin and pale-colored feces, health officials said.Illness can appear 15-50 days after exposure and people can be sick for several weeks.Keep up with local news, weather and current events with the WDSU app here. Sign up for our email newsletters to get breaking news right in your inbox. Click here to sign up!