Seems like it’s the season for hepatitis A. A confirmed case of acute hepatitis A has been identified in a food handler at the La Fontana restaurant in Nyack, New York. Anyone who ate there between March 19 and April 1, 2014 may have been exposed to hepatitis A.
The County of Rockland Department of Health is recommending that everyone who ate at the restaurant on March 29, March 30, or April 1, 2014 receive a vaccination. The vaccination is about 80% to 90% effective. The Rockland County Department of Health is offering free vaccines to patrons and employees of the restaurant on Sunday, April 13, 2014 from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm and Monday, April 14, 2014 from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm at the Rockland County Fire Training Center at 35 Firemens Memorial Drive in Pomona.
Unfortunately, for anyone who ate there March 29, 2014, today is the very last day a hepatitis A or immune globulin vaccination would be effective. Please go to an urgent care center to get the vaccine. If you ate at that restaurant before March 29, 2014 a vaccination will not work. Monitor yourself for the symptoms of hepatitis A and see your doctor if they develop.
Those symptoms include jaundice (yellowing of the eyes and skin), fatigue, abdominal pain, fever, nausea, and diarrhea. Light-colored stools, joint pain, dark-colored urine, and loss of appetite are also symptoms. Some people who have chronic liver disease or weakened immune systems can become very ill if they get this disease. Most people recover in a few weeks with bed rest and by avoiding alcoholic beverages, while others are ill for as long as six months.
Hepatitis A is spread when an infected person doesn’t wash their hands after going to the bathroom, then prepares or serves food. It can also be spread through contaminated food or water.
Research on the food handlers food preparation and sanitary habits would be useful.