Florida health officials identified 79 hepatitis A cases tied to Cuba between June 2024 and February 2026, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report on September 24, 2026. No deaths occurred. Among 78 patients with hospitalization data, 56 were hospitalized, or 72 percent.
A case required a confirmed diagnosis with symptoms beginning between June 1, 2024 and February 28, 2026, plus at least one link: travel to or emigration from Cuba 15 to 50 days before symptoms began, a matching outbreak strain, or a connection to a confirmed case. The median age was 39. Seventy percent of patients were male, 92 percent were Hispanic or Latino, and cases were reported in 13 of Florida's 67 counties, with 58 percent in Miami-Dade County.
The CDC recommends hepatitis A vaccination or immune globulin before travel to Cuba. It also advises clinicians to take detailed travel histories and to consider hepatitis A in returning travelers with compatible symptoms. Hepatitis A is a liver infection spread through contaminated food or water or close contact.
The report counted 76 recent travelers and three additional linked cases. Most cases followed recent travel; a small number involved other links to the outbreak. Discuss protection before travel; recommendations can depend on timing, age and medical history. The outbreak count cannot predict the risk of any one trip.
