Infected restaurant worker leaves diners needing hepatitis A vaccines, NJ officials say
A trip out to eat at a New Jersey brunch spot may have put customers at risk of a serious liver virus, health officials say.
A health care provider notified the Monmouth County Health Department about a worker at Ashbury Park restaurant Cardinal Provisions who had tested positive for hepatitis A, the county health department said in a Sept. 27 news release. The employee worked at the restaurant while infected with the virus between Sept. 7 and 10 as well as Sept. 12, 14 and 21, health officials say.
After receiving the call about the infection, the health department conducted an investigation of the restaurant and found no “food safety violations,” according to officials.
Despite the lack of violations, the restaurant chose to voluntarily shut down to give its staff time to get vaccinated against the illness, health officials say.
While it’s uncommon for a person to become infected by a hepatitis A-positive restaurant worker, customers who ate at the Ashbury Park restaurant are still encouraged to get vaccinated, the release says. Vaccinations should occur within two weeks of the potential exposure date.
Ashbury Park is about 55 miles south of New York City.
What to know about hepatitis A
Hepatitis A is a short-term virus that infects the liver, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is preventable through vaccination.
In 2021, the most recent year with available data, there were 5,728 reported cases of hepatitis A in the U.S., the CDC says, but the agency estimates there were more than double that of actual infections due to under-reporting the disease.
It is considered to be “very contagious,” according to the CDC, and can be spread by ingesting the virus, typically through close contact with an infected person. It can also be consumed through contaminated food or beverages.
People infected with hepatitis A can “feel sick for a few weeks to several months,” according to the CDC. Most people make full recoveries with no lasting liver damage. But in rare cases, the disease can cause liver failure or death. Once someone has hepatitis A once, they have immunity for life.
Symptoms typically occur between two to seven weeks after initial infection, the CDC says. Some of the symptoms of hepatitis A includes yellowing skin, nausea, fever, lose of appetite, dark urine, diarrhea, fatigue and joint pain.
If you suspect that you have hepatitis A, the CDC suggests contacting both your local health provider and health department.
For those looking to prevent the disease, the CDC recommends receiving a single dose of the hepatitis A virus vaccine from a local provider.
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