NPR | "Hepatitis A outbreak declared in L.A."

NPR interviewed Dr. Timothy Brewer, professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, and of Medicine and a member of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, for the "All Things Considered" program, about an outbreak of Hepatitis A in Los Angeles County.

Brewer said that - generally - in the U.S., which has good sanitation systems and public water supplies, the chance of catching hepatitis A is low. The CDC estimates there were about 3,300 infections nationwide during 2023.

"Most people have self-limited disease, so you can feel pretty miserable for several months. But pretty much everybody gets better," he said. "If I had to guess, it's more likely due to a contaminated food source than contaminated surfaces."

A vaccine exists, and with almost 100% effectiveness, he said.

Read and listen to the full NPR interview.