By ELISE COMTOIS, Sun Staff
It’s only July, and hepatitis A cases in New Hampshire are already double the normal number.
Hepatitis A is a liver disease that can cause a person to be ill for months. There have been 48 cases of the virus reported this year, much higher than the normal 15 or 20 per year.
While the hardest hit area seems to be Merrimack County, with a total of 21
hepatitis A cases, southern New Hampshire hasn’t escaped the outbreak.

State epidemiologist Jose Montero said New Hampshire’s historical average rate of hepatitis A cases is 1.5 cases per 100,000 people. Rockingham county’s hepatitis A rate is almost double that number, and Hillsborough County is nearly 10 times greater.
Montero said about 60 percent of the cases are related to drug abuse. Hepatitis A is most commonly spread through fecal-oral contact, and people abusing drugs may not pay as much attention to personal hygiene and safety.
“People may not wash their hands as much as usual,” Montero said, “and some people doing IV drugs may be sharing needles.”
Nashua epidemiologist Paul Etkind said Nashua’s health center has been stocking up on immune globulin, a vaccine that can prevent the virus from taking hold and stop the spread of infection.
Etkind said the immune globulin in stock is used to treat people who have been exposed to the virus that may not have a primary-care physician or don’t have health insurance.
Also, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services has been offering hepatitis A vaccines to drug users throughout the state, Montero said. The vaccines are being distributed for free in drug and alcohol centers, community mental health centers, and HIV clinics.
Symptoms of the disease include fever, abdominal pain, fatigue, and jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes). Those experiencing these symptoms who may have been exposed to the virus should contact their doctor.