LANSING, Mich. — On Tuesday, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services hosted a summit to ensure public health professionals are using the best practices to keep people safe and healthy.
The summit is perfect timing as the country experiences the largest hepatitis-a outbreak in two years.
Since 2016, Michigan has had 912 cases of hepatitis-a, 28 of those were fatal.
People at high risk of getting hep-a, are those who shoot up drugs, the homeless, and people behind bars.
Lynn Sutfin, spokesperson for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said, "For anybody else who's not in those risk groups, feel free to talk to your health care provider."
She added, "You may work closely with one of those groups, so perhaps it might be a good idea to get vaccinated. Anybody whose traveling internationally should definitely be vaccinated against hepatitis and maybe even other things depending on where you're traveling."
Some signs that you might have hepatitis-a are a loss of appetite, or your stomach hurts, but the number one sign is yellowing of the skin.
You should go see a doctor if you think you have any of these symptoms.
Click here for more information on hep-A [mayoclinic.org].
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