Kentucky House, Senate Tackle Hepatitis A Outbreak

Kentucky House, Senate Tackle Hepatitis A Outbreak

Kentucky lawmakers on Monday confronted the statewide spread of hepatitis A, advancing a proposal calling for an examination of the state’s response to one of the country’s worst outbreaks of the disease.
Senate Minority Floor Leader Morgan McGarvey said the goal is to determine how the deadly outbreak occurred, how it spread and how outbreaks can be prevented. The proposal next goes to the Republican-led Senate.

The measure calls on the state Cabinet for Health and Family Services to review public health officials’ response to the statewide outbreak and to make recommendations aimed at better combating future outbreaks.

The outbreak began in late 2017 in the state’s biggest urban area in Jefferson County and spread to rural areas. Statewide, more than 4,100 have been sickened by hepatitis A and more than 2,000 people were hospitalized. There have been 43 deaths associated with hepatitis A.

Source: MG News

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