The FDA is warning about an outbreak of Hepatitis A linked to strawberries sold in major grocery stores across the country last month.

A microscopic image of the Hepatitis A virus, taken by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Florida had a reported 1,009 hepatitis A cases in 2020, a major decrease from 2019, but significantly more than in most years, according to information posted on the state Department of Health website. Florida totaled 3,405 hepatitis A cases in 2019, when Surgeon General Scott Rivkees declared a public health emergency. Florida had 123 cases in 2015, 122 cases in 2016, 276 cases in 2017 and 548 cases in 2018, according to the Department of Health. Hepatitis A can cause liver damage and is spread through such things as fecal matter, sexual contact and intravenous drug use.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. Florida had 74 hepatitis A cases in June and has hit 680 cases this year, according to data posted on the Florida Department of Health website. The numbers, updated as of Saturday, show a gradual monthly decline in cases this year and a large reduction from last year, when the state totaled 3,411 cases and Surgeon General Scott Rivkees declared a public health emergency. In issuing the public health emergency last August, Rivkees urged residents to get vaccinated and to wash their hands. As of June 13, the latest county-by-county data posted online, Duval County led the state with 164 cases this year. It was followed by Volusia County with 59 cases and Brevard County with 47 cases.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. Florida had 56 cases of hepatitis A during the first three weeks of June, bringing its total to 661 this year, according to new data posted on the state Department of Health website. The pace of cases is slower than in 2019, when a major outbreak led to 3,411 reported hepatitis A cases. The state, for example, had 123 cases in 2015; 122 cases in 2016; 276 cases in 2017; and 548 cases in 2018, Department of Health numbers show. Hepatitis A, which causes liver damage, is spread through such things as fecal matter, sexual contact and intravenous drug use. Duval County led the state with 156 cases as of a June 13 count, while Volusia County had 58 cases and Brevard County had 47 cases, according to the Department of Health.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – While the state grapples with the novel coronavirus, it also continues to see increasing cases of hepatitis A.Florida reported 30 new cases of hepatitis A last week, bringing this year’s total to 356 as of Saturday, according to the state Department of Health website. Florida had a large outbreak of hepatitis A in 2019, when 3,396 cases were reported. By comparison, the state had 548 cases in 2018 and 276 cases in 2017. In 2020, Duval County has had the most reported hepatitis A cases, with 79 as of Saturday, according to the Department of Health data. Duval County was followed by Volusia County, with 32 cases; Brevard County, with 23 cases; Clay County, with 18 cases; and Polk County, with 17 cases.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida has topped 280 reported cases of hepatitis A this year, with the largest numbers in Duval and Volusia counties. As of Saturday, 281 cases had been reported statewide, with 60 in Duval County and 25 in Volusia County, according to state Department of Health numbers. Other counties with double-digit numbers of cases were Brevard, with 17; Polk, with 16; Charlotte, with 13; and Citrus and Clay, with 12 each. Florida was hit with a major outbreak of hepatitis A in 2019, with 3,396 cases reported statewide. Hepatitis A, which causes liver damage, is spread through such things as fecal matter, sexual contact and intravenous drug use.

A microscopic image of the Hepatitis A virus, taken by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida had 62 hepatitis A cases reported last week, bringing the total number of cases this year to 2,970, as of Saturday. Citrus County had 11 newly reported cases last week, and the county has had 95 cases this year. Volusia County had the second-highest number of newly reported cases last week with seven. Hepatitis A, which can cause liver damage, can be spread through sexual contact and through fecal matter.

A microscopic image of the Hepatitis A virus, taken by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida had 56 new hepatitis A cases reported last week, bringing the total number of cases this year to 2,904 as of Oct. 26, according to the state Department of Health. Brevard and Volusia led the state in the number of newly reported cases last week, with 11 each, a News Service of Florida analysis of the data shows. That brought the number of hepatitis A cases in Volusia County to 262 and Brevard County to 131. Citrus and Lake counties also each reported eight new cases of hepatitis A last week, bringing the total number of cases in Lake County to 147 and the total number of cases in Citrus County to 84.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida had 55 new hepatitis A cases reported last week, bringing the total number of cases this year to 2,847 as of Saturday, according to Department of Health data. That brought the number of hepatitis A cases in Volusia County to 259 and Brevard County to 128, respectively. Other counties with the highest number of newly reported cases last week included Lake County, with six cases, and Sarasota County, with five. That brought the number of cases this year in Lake County to 145 and Sarasota County to 80. Nine counties had not reported any cases of hepatitis A this year: Baker, Bradford, Calhoun, Gadsden, Gulf, Highlands, Holmes, Jefferson and Lafayette.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida had 53 newly reported hepatitis A cases last week, bringing the total number of cases this year to 2,791 as of Saturday, numbers from the state Department of Health show. Pasco County, which leads the state in hepatitis A cases, had just one new case reported last week, bringing its total to 398. Nearby Pinellas County, which has had 369 cases this year, did not report any additional cases last week. Florida Surgeon General Scott Rivkees issued a Public Health Emergency in August to address the massive increase in hepatitis A cases in Florida over the past year. Rivkees' goal is to vaccinate 80 percent of the at-risk populations, or about 392,000 people.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida had 62 newly reported cases of hepatitis A last week, bringing the total number of cases for the year to 2,738 as of Saturday, a state Department of Health report shows. Pasco, Pinellas and Volusia counties continued to lead the state with 397, 369 and 244 cases, respectively. A News Service of Florida analysis shows that Lake, Sarasota and Hillsborough counties had more newly reported cases of hepatitis A last week than any other areas. There were seven newly reported cases in Lake County, six in Sarasota County and four in Hillsborough County. Last week, the county health departments provided 48 percent of the first-dose vaccinations that were administered.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida had 65 newly reported hepatitis A cases last week, bringing the total number of cases this year to 2,675 as of Saturday. Pasco, Pinellas, and Volusia counties continued to have the most cases, with 394, 368 and 242 cases, respectively. Marion County had the highest number of newly reported cases last week, with eight. Rivkees said he has beefed up the state's vaccination efforts by hiring part-time staff at county health departments. According to a tracking system called Florida SHOTS, county health departments have administered 41 percent of the vaccinations this year.

A microscopic image of the Hepatitis A virus, taken by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Florida Department of Health releases weekly data about reported cases, and The News Service of Florida has kept a running tally since July. Here is an analysis tracking the 10 counties with the largest increases in cases during the most-recent 10 week-period that ended Saturday. It was followed by Pinellas County, with 363 cases, and Volusia County with 236 cases, according to a Department of Health report. News Service of Florida

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Another 64 cases of hepatitis A were reported to the state last week, bringing the total number of reported cases this year to 2,609, according to state data as of Saturday. Citrus County had nine new reported cases last week, the largest number in the state, a News Service of Florida analysis shows. Volusia County had the second-highest number of newly reported cases with seven, bringing its total number of reported cases to 236. Pinellas County had five newly reported cases, bringing its total this year to 363. Pasco County has had 392 cases this year, more than any other county in the state, though it had just one reported new case last week.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The state has hired part-time workers to help abate the growing hepatitis A public health emergency, Department of Health Secretary Scott Rivkees told lawmakers on Wednesday. Rivkees told the House Health Quality Subcommittee that his department has used $3 million in funds from county health departments to hire additional workers. Smith noted that the budget for the current fiscal year eliminated 572 positions from the state health agency. According to the latest health department reports, there are 30 hepatitis A cases in Miami-Dade County and 15 in Broward County. "I recently visited with the county health department in Miami-Dade.

Moreover, 78 percent of the hepatitis A cases in Florida have required hospitalization, compared to 60 percent nationally. We have had 40 individuals who have passed away in the state of Florida," Rivkees told members of the Senate Health Policy Committee. Florida has had 2,540 reported cases this year of hepatitis A, including 78 last week, according to the latest data posted on the Department of Health website. The majority of vaccinations have been administered by providers who aren't connected with county health departments. "I wish to emphasize that we are currently unaware of any situation where hepatitis A has been transmitted from a food worker to a patron in the state of Florida," Rivkees told the panel.

A microscopic image of the Hepatitis A virus, taken by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida had 49 new cases of hepatitis A reported last week, bringing the total number of cases this year to 2,461, according to the latest data from the state Department of Health. Citrus, Lee and Volusia counties led the state last week with five new cases each. Palm Beach and Pinellas counties each had four new reported cases. Meanwhile, 10 counties have not reported any hepatitis A cases.

A microscopic image of the Hepatitis A virus, taken by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida's hepatitis A outbreak continues, with 2,349 cases reported this year and 82 cases reported last week, state Department of Health numbers show. Pasco County led the state with 377 cases reported as of Saturday, followed by Pinellas County with 349 cases and Volusia County with 215 cases. Lee and Lake counties each had six new reported cases. The department said 7,850 first doses of the vaccine were administered last week, with 35 percent done at county health departments.

A microscopic image of the Hepatitis A virus, taken by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The number of hepatitis A cases in Florida continues to climb, with 68 new cases reported to state health officials last week. The largest number of new cases was in Pinellas County, which reported seven cases of the virus, followed by Volusia and Brevard counites, which each reported six new cases. Pasco County, which has reported more cases than any other county in Florida, reported five new cases last week, bringing its total to 373 cases. As of Saturday, 10 counties -- Dixie, Calhoun, Bradford, Gadsden, Gulf, Highlands Holmes, Lafayette, Jefferson and Union -- did not have any reported hepatitis A cases, while Suwannee County reported its first case last week.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida had 81 new hepatitis A cases reported last week, as state Surgeon General Scott Rivkees declared a public health emergency because of the virus, newly released numbers show. The 81 cases reported from July 28 to Saturday increased to 2,123 the number of hepatitis A cases reported in the state this year. Meanwhile, Volusia County had the largest number of newly reported cases last week with 11, according to a News Service of Florida analysis of the data. Pasco County reported an additional 10 cases, and Brevard and Palm Beach counties reported increases of seven cases. Meanwhile, 12 largely rural counties have not reported hepatitis A cases this year.

Bruce Bennett/Getty Images(CNN) - The Philadelphia Department of Health has declared a public health emergency due to a surge in Hepatitis A, Dr. Thomas A. Farley, Health Commissioner of the City, said Thursday. Preliminary information indicates 67% of people who have been diagnosed with Hepatitis A say they have used drugs, while 26% report homelessness, according to health officials. Southern New Jersey and suburban Pennsylvania counties around Philadelphia are also reporting higher than usual numbers of Hepatitis A among the same at-risk populations, according to the city's health department. The Hepatitis A vaccine requires two doses given at least six months apart for long-lasting protection, according to the CDC. Context for the crisisThe 2017 Hepatitis A epidemic in San Diego County, California, included 592 infections, primarily among the homeless and illegal drug users.

A microscopic image of the Hepatitis A virus, taken by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - After more than 2,000 cases of reported hepatitis A cases in Florida this year, state Surgeon General Scott Rivkees declared a public health emergency Thursday. "I am declaring this Public Health Emergency as a proactive step to appropriately alert the public to this serious illness and prevent further spread of Hepatitis A in our state," Rivkees said in a prepared statement issued to the media. Case counts for the first six months of 2019 have already surpassed the total number of cases reported last year, according to state health officials. There have been 2,034 hepatitis A cases reported to the state between January 1 and July 29, according to the Florida Department of Health.

A microscopic image of the Hepatitis A virus, taken by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida had 53 new hepatitis A cases reported last week, bringing the total number of cases since January to 2,034, according to the state Department of Health. Pasco and Pinellas counties continued to lead the state in the number of reported cases, with 358 in Pasco and 328 in Pinellas as of Saturday. Manatee County led the state in the number of new suspected cases last week with six. The state data includes confirmed and suspected cases of hepatitis A.

A microscopic image of the Hepatitis A virus, taken by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The Florida Department of Health posted a report Monday that showed the state has had 1,978 reported cases of hepatitis A this year. An outbreak of the virus, which can cause liver damage, started in 2018 and has exploded this year in parts of the state, such as in the Tampa Bay region and areas of Central Florida. Other parts of the state, such as rural counties across North Florida, have seen few cases. Here are the number of cases reported in 2019 in counties throughout the state:Pasco: 355Pinellas: 323Volusia: 174Orange: 140Hillsborough: 114Marion: 108Lake: 91Hernando: 90Manatee: 82Brevard: 62Palm Beach: 40Lee: 38Seminole: 34Martin: 32Sarasota: 31Sumter: 27Citrus: 25Miami-Dade: 25Osceola: 24\St. Lucie: 24Polk: 23Charlotte: 14Broward: 12Santa Rosa: 10Bay: 6St. Johns: 6Alachua: 5Duval: 5Okaloosa: 5Okeechobee: 5Collier: 4Jackson: 4Taylor: 4Clay: 3Escambia: 3Flagler: 3Indian River: 3Leon: 3DeSoto: 2Glades: 2Hendry: 2Nassau: 2Walton: 2Columbia: 1Franklin: 1Gilchrist: 1Hamilton: 1Hardee: 1|Levy: 1Liberty: 1Madison: 1Putnam: 1Wakulla: 1Washington: 1Baker: 0Bradford: 0Calhoun: 0Dixie: 0Gadsden: 0Gulf: 0Highlands: 0Holmes: 0Jefferson: 0Lafayette: 0Monroe: 0Suwannee: 0Union: 0Source: Florida Department of HealthNews Service of Florida

A microscopic image of the Hepatitis A virus, taken by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The number of hepatitis A cases reported to the state Department of Health continues to rise, with the latest data showing that 82 cases were reported between June 30 and July 6. In all, Florida has had 1,811 cases this year, which is more than the total number of cases reported in all of 2018, according to state health officials. Meanwhile, the latest monthly report shows that 355 cases of hepatitis A were reported during the month of June. The number of people with the virus has grown over the last six months, with cases reported in 52 of the states 67 counties.

A microscopic image of the Hepatitis A virus, taken by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The Florida Department of Health is working with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to address a hepatitis A outbreak and hopes the partnership will help expand vaccinations, state officials said Wednesday. Jeanette Nunez described as increasing our vaccination outreach.The state reported 1,718 cases of hepatitis A between Jan. 1 and June 29. Despite efforts to promote vaccinations, the state reported 346 cases between May 31 and June 29. State Surgeon General Scott Rivkees, who serves as secretary of the Department of Health, and Nunez announced the partnership with the CDC in the news release.

A microscopic image of the Hepatitis A virus, taken by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Another 90 cases of hepatitis A were reported to the Florida Department of Health during the final week of June, bringing the number of cases this year to more than 1,700, figures posted on the department website show. The state report shows that 50 of the 67 counties had reported at least one case of hepatitis A this year as of Saturday. Pasco and Pinellas counties led the state with 329 and 296 reported cases, respectively. The total this year is a huge increase over previous years, with 548 reported cases in all of 2018 and 276 cases in 2017.