Monterey County is the latest county in California to declare a hepatitis A outbreak among its homeless population.
California has been dealing with its largest hep A outbreak since the vaccine came out more than 20 years ago.
Ten people in Monterey County have been diagnosed with hepatitis A, nine of them homeless. The virus infects the liver and causes flu-like symptoms. It can be deadly.
Hep A spreads when someone drinks water or eats food that’s contaminated with the feces of an infected person. So it's most common in unsanitary places, making the homeless especially vulnerable.