APRIL 16, 2021

W. Va. HAV Outbreak Costs Exceed $5.5 Million

By Ethan Covey

A lengthy outbreak of hepatitis A virus (HAV) in West Virginia has resulted in substantial clinical costs, with a total expenditure of more than $5.5 million in medical claims related to a hepatitis A diagnosis.

Experts stressed that many of the expenditures could have been avoided because HAV is a vaccine-preventable disease (MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2021;70:269-272).

"Our study shows something that’s really not surprising: The cost of treating hepatitis A can be expensive,