The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has confirmed the first death related to an ongoing outbreak of hepatitis A.
According to a news release, the death happened in October. News outlets reported Tuesday that additional details about the case are not being released.
Hepatitis A is a contagious and vaccine-preventable liver infection that can range from a mild illness that lasts a few weeks to a severe illness lasting several months. It's usually transmitted through water or food that has been contaminated by small, undetectable amounts of feces from a contagious person.
An average of 41 cases of hepatitis A were reported each year in North Carolina from 2013-2017, and a total of 64 cases have already been reported this year as of the end of October.