Utah’s largest hepatitis A outbreak in years has now sickened at least 75 people since the first case was discovered in May.
The state usually sees three or four cases annually. Now, at least that many cases are reported each week.
Health officials have scrambled to keep up, launching an outreach and vaccination campaign around Salt Lake County, where the majority of cases are centered. The rapid spread of the virus has occurred among the homeless population, due to poor hygiene and unsanitary conditions.
“Our greatest concern with the outbreak is that it will leap into another population, or into the general population, and the outbreak will grow exponentially,” said Nicholas Rupp, a spokesman for the Salt Lake County Health Department.