MGN

(10/29 4pm) (ROANOKE, Va.) – This afternoon, the Roanoke City and Alleghany Health Districts (RCAHD) announced that they learned that a third adult who was hospitalized with complications has died from hepatitis A. The RCAHD will disclose no further information about the individual to protect privacy and out of respect for the family.

“It is always with extreme sadness that we report the death of an individual,” said RCAHD health director, Cynthia Morrow, MD, MPH. “This heartbreaking loss of life illustrates how serious this outbreak is.  Unfortunately, in this situation, we have seen many individuals experiencing severe disease, and in some cases, their symptoms have continued to progress over weeks.”

(earlier) The Roanoke City and Alleghany Health Districts announced today that a second adult who was hospitalized with complications from hepatitis A has died. This is tied to the Hepatitis A outbreak among people who ate at one of three Famous Anthony’s restaurants in August, when an employee there who had contracted “Hep A” was working. Health district director Dr. Cynthia Morrow said it was, quote, “devastating that we have seen a high rate of severe disease associated with this outbreak.” There are a total of 49 confirmed cases, including 31 hospitalizations. A small number of cases are still under investigation, and no new cases have been reported to the health districts this week. “We grieve the loss of this second individual, who was loved by friends and family,” said  Morrow