HONOLULU — The number of people sickened by an outbreak of hepatitis A now tops 100. ADVERTISING HONOLULU — The number of people sickened by an outbreak of hepatitis A now tops 100. The state Department of Health said there
HONOLULU — The number of people sickened by an outbreak of hepatitis A now tops 100.
The state Department of Health said there were 135 confirmed cases as of Wednesday.
As the number of cases continues to grow, health officials have been unsuccessful in identifying the cause of the outbreak. They say the investigation so far suggests the source is focused on Oahu.
Now, seven of the patients live on the Big Island, Kauai and Maui. One is a tourist who returned to the mainland.
Hepatitis A is spread by contaminated food or water or close personal contact.
Identifying a source is challenging because of the disease’s long incubation period, according to health officials. It’s also difficult for those infected to remember everything they ate and all the people they had contact with.
