The death of Ned Kirsch may not be related to an outbreak of hepatitis A

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According to the Florida Department of Health, hepatitis A is a highly contagious disease that attacks the liver. and the best way to avoid the virus is diligent cleanliness and a vaccine. GINNY BEAGAN
Ginny Beagan, TCPALM

MARTIN COUNTY – According to Vermont Health Department spokesman Ben Truman, the death of Ned Kirsch "would not be linked to a public health problem".

Less than a month after the death of his brother and sister-in-law from hepatitis A and just days after his visit to Palm City, Ned Kirsch of Burlington, Vermont, died.

According to Truman, the Vermont agency and the Vermont County Health Department are investigating the death of Ned Kirsch.

More: Ned Kirsch, brother of Jeffrey Kirsch, died Wednesday

Truman said the Vermont Medical Examiner's office is still trying to find the cause of Ned's death and that a death certificate has not yet been created.

Jeffrey and Nancy Kirsch, both 62, were found dead at home in March following a complication of hepatitis A, according to health officials.

A couple who lived on Kirsches Street in Palm City, Martin Gucciardo and his wife, also caught the virus. He told reporters at TCPalm that they did not know Jeffrey and Nancy Kirsch.

More: What we do not know about the outbreak of hepatitis A in Martin County

Florida health officials in Martin County reported Tuesday 19 cases of hepatitis A and three deaths. The number has not changed since Friday.

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The county is experiencing an epidemic and is considered a "high risk" area since April 1, when it reached five confirmed cases of the virus.

Jeffrey and Nancy Kirsch (Photo: CONTRIBUTED PHOTO OF NED KIRSCH)

Hepatitis A is a highly contagious disease that attacks the liver and rarely causes death. The majority of people infected with the virus have flu-like symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and fever, but recover within one to two weeks.

Dr. Carina Blackmore, a state epidemiologist, said it was unusual for three people infected with the virus to die in a county in less than a month. She said that there had been a reunion of hepatitis A cases in Palm City, but she thought it was random.

More:Hepatitis A can have a negative impact on the local economy

The next level after a virus outbreak is endemic, which the county is not about to reach, said Florida Department of Health spokeswoman Martin County Renay Rouse. For an area to be considered part of an endemic area, the county must regularly see people with the virus for a long time.

Ned Kirsch, 53, spoke to TCPalm on April 5th. He said that his brother had told him that he thought he had the flu.

"It's very strange for us," he said about their deaths. "It does not make sense to us."

State Epidemiologist Dr. Carina Blackmore (center) speaks at the press conference on the recent Hepatitis A outbreak in Martin County, which has been held at the Martin County Sheriff's Office on Friday, April 12, 2019 in Stuart.

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Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nu-ez spoke at the news conference regarding the recent Hepatitis A outbreak in Martin County at the Martin County Sheriff's Office on Friday, April 12, 2019. to Stuart.

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Senator Gayle Harrell spoke at the news conference about the recent Hepatitis A outbreak in Martin County, at the Martin County Sheriff's Office, on Friday, April 12, 2019 in Stuart.

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A press conference on the recent Hepatitis A outbreak in Martin County was held at the Martin County Sheriff's Office on Friday, April 12, 2019 in Stuart.

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Local and state officials address the media at a news conference on the recent hepatitis A outbreak in Martin County, which is held at the Martin County Sheriff's Office on Friday April 12, 2019 in Stuart.

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