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Santa Barbara County Officials Say Social Media Comments About Hepatitis From Storm Debris Are False

Santa Barbara County Public Health officials say they’ve been dealing with inaccurate concerns being spread on the South Coast that debris, and storm runoff being moved to landfills, and beaches could be spreading Hepatitis C.

Santa Barbara County Public Health Officer Dr. Charity Dean says Hepatitis C is transmitted when blood from an infected person comes in contact with blood from an uninfected person. It doesn’t spread through food or water. Dean also says it’s unlikely other types of hepatitis could be spread through the storm runoff or debris.

She says some of the information that’s been spread regarding hepatitis concerns from the storm in the county is false.

Lance Orozco has been News Director of KCLU since 2001, providing award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in the region, including the Thomas and Woolsey brush fires, the deadly Montecito debris flow, the Borderline Bar and Grill attack, and Ronald Reagan's funeral. 
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