Manitoba is expanding eligibility for free hepatitis A vaccines
Posted May 23, 2026 3:56 pm.
Last Updated May 24, 2026 10:07 am.
Manitoba is expanding eligibility for free hepatitis A vaccines as the province’s ongoing outbreak increasingly affects Winnipeg, particularly people experiencing homelessness and the organizations that support them.
The province announced that staff and volunteers at non-health-care, community-based organizations serving unhoused people in Winnipeg can now get the vaccine free of charge. This includes workers and volunteers at shelters, outreach programs, and other frontline community services.
The hepatitis A outbreak was first declared in April 2025 and affected several northern Manitoba communities at first. Now, the outbreak has spread to other parts of the province, including Winnipeg.
Hepatitis A is a liver infection spread through contaminated food, water, or close contact with an infected person. Some symptoms can include fever, nausea, abdominal pain, yellowing of the skin and eyes, and some people may not have symptoms at all.
According to the province, there have been 658 outbreak-related cases as of May 6, including 143 in Winnipeg. The outbreak has also led to 142 hospitalizations, five ICU treatments, and four deaths.
The vaccine will still be available to several other groups already considered at high risk, including people experiencing homelessness, people who use drugs, inmates in correctional facilities, and residents or travellers connected to several affected First Nation communities. The vaccine can help prevent illness, even after exposure, if administered within two weeks.
The province says immunization efforts are continuing as officials work to contain the outbreak and reduce transmission across Manitoba.
Anyone who develops symptoms of hepatitis A should contact their health-care provider, especially if they may have been in contact with someone who has been ill.
CityNews reached out to the Minister of Health, Seniors, and Long-Term Care, Uzoma Asagwara, but we did not hear back by broadcast time.
