Los Angeles County reports hepatitis A outbreak
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has declared a community-wide outbreak of hepatitis A following a sustained increase in clinical cases and elevated virus levels detected in local wastewater.
Health officials confirmed 165 hepatitis A cases in LA County since 2024, which is three times the number of cases reported in 2023. Although unhoused individuals are at higher risk for contracting hepatitis A infection because they often have limited access to handwashing and toileting facilities, of the 29 hepatitis A cases confirmed to date in 2025, most have been among people without travel or housing risk factors.
This increase in hepatitis A infections among people without risk factors has corresponded with recent increases in hepatitis A wastewater concentrations. While the risk to the general public remains low, community-wide protection actions are needed to ensure that transmission of hepatitis A is reduced.
“The ongoing increase in hepatitis A cases signals that quick action is needed to protect public health,” said Muntu Davis, MD, MPH, Los Angeles County Health Officer. “The hepatitis A vaccine is safe, effective, and offers long-term protection. Getting vaccinated is simple, and it’s one of the most important things you can do for your own health and the health of our entire community. It is also important for residents to wash their hands with soap and water regularly and especially before eating and preparing food and after using the bathroom.”
Hepatitis A is a highly contagious liver infection caused by the hepatitis A virus. It can range from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a severe illness lasting several months. Symptoms of hepatitis A include fever, weakness, fatigue, nausea, loss of appetite, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes), stomach pain, vomiting, dark urine, pale stools, and diarrhea.
Although rare, hepatitis A can cause death in some people. Hepatitis A usually spreads when a person unknowingly ingests the virus from objects, food, or drinks contaminated by small, undetected amounts of stool from an infected person.
Vaccination is the best way to prevent disease. Infection can be prevented by vaccination after a known exposure to a person with infectious hepatitis A.