Hepatitis A Cases Trend Downward In Florida

Daytona Beach, FL - Almost two years after Surgeon General Scott Rivkees declared a public health emergency, Florida reports a significant drop in hepatitis A cases; but numbers are still higher than previous years. Surveillance data released by the Florida Department of Health (DOH) shows 2020 (as of June 31st) had a total of 1,009 hepatitis A cases reported—a stark contrast compared to 2019, which had 3,405 cases reported throughout the year. Between those years, cases dropped by almost 240 percent. In fact, the weekly and monthly new case totals are trending downward in monthly comparisons. Between November 2019 and October 2020, 1,328 cases were reported. In that timeframe, cases peaked in December 2019 with 244 recorded cases before dropping down in July 2020, which saw only 35 new cases. However, while cases have dropped significantly, public health officials have pointed out that 2020’s numbers are still higher than what was reported in previous years. Between 2015 and 2017, the state recorded only 521 cases. The first spike came in 2018, which saw 548 cases recorded in just a year. Then in 2019, cases jumped by over 500 percent with 3,405 cases. That same year, State Surgeon General Scott Rivkees declared a publix health emergency in regards to the alarming increase in hepatitis A cases. Between January 1st and June 31st of 2020, Volusia County reported only six cases of hepatitis A. While data for the rest of the year is not yet available, the preliminary numbers show another large drop in cases, considering that the county saw 310 reported in 2019 alone—after only reporting five new cases in 2018. In that same six month span of 2020, Flagler County reported just a single case. In 2019, 14 cases were reported while none were reported in 2018.