2 dead in hepatitis A outbreak in Florida county

STUART, Fla. – Health officials say two people have died amid a hepatitis A outbreak declared in one Florida county.

Treasure Coast Newspapers reports Martin County and state officials met Friday to discuss a Palm City couple after the medical examiner’s office said they died last week from “complications of hepatitis A.”

Records show 13 cases of hepatitis A in the county since the start of the year, eight of them diagnosed since Monday. The Florida Department of Health labels a county in an outbreak once it has more than five cases.

Health officials say children who enrolled in public school since 1995 should already be vaccinated. The vaccination process for hepatitis A is two shots given six months apart.

Hepatitis A is a liver disease spread by contaminated food or water.

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Information from: The Stuart (Fla.) News, http://www.tcpalm.com