A pair of outbreaks in the state of Maine that originated more than 200 miles apart appear to be related, public health authorities in the state said Tuesday.
Maine health authorities have been battling outbreaks that originated at a wedding in Millinocket and the York County Jail. Those places are about 230 miles apart, but appear linked by a staff member from the jail who attended the wedding and tested positive, Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention director Nirav Shah said.
The overlap shows “how aggressively and how opportunistically this virus can spread,” Shah said.
“It can be the uninvited guest at every single wedding, party and event here in Maine,” he said.
The state has been working to control both outbreaks. The jail outbreak has sickened at least 18 people and the wedding outbreak has sickened at least 60.
One person who tested positive as a result of the wedding outbreak has died. The person who died didn’t attend the event, public health authorities have said.
