GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is issuing big grants to 25 county health departments to combat the state's hepatitis A outbreak.
In all, $500,000 in grants is being issued. Each department got $20,000 to vaccinate more people in high-risk populations. West Michigan health departments that received money include Allegan, Berrien, Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph, Ionia, Kalamazoo, Kent, Muskegon, Ottawa and Van Buren.
The cash comes from $7.1 million in state funding dedicated to fight the outbreak in 2017. Twenty local departments dealing with the outbreak had already received money; the latest round of grants covers the rest them. While they may have recorded a case, the 25 counties are not officially included in the outbreak's jurisdiction.
Since it began in August 2016, the outbreak has infected 789 people and killed 25, according to state figures updated last week. Most of the cases have been in southeast Michigan.
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