The San Francisco Department of Public Health has issued a public health notice about a food handler at the Comstock Saloon, who has been diagnosed with a hepatitis A infection. Anyone who ate at that restaurant on December 12, 13, 14, 15, or 19, 2013 may have been exposed to the virus. Anyone who ate at the restaurant after December 19, 2013 are not at risk. The restaurant is located at 155 Columbus Avenue in North Beach in San Francisco.
Dr. Tomás Aragón, Health Officer for the City & County of San Francisco said in a statement, “the worker is currently restricted from work until he or she is no longer contagious. The risk of a restaurant patron having been infected is extremely low, but we need the medical community and restaurant patrons to be aware of the possibility of contracting this disease.” There have been no reports of hepatitis A cases linked to this food handler.
If you did visit the restaurant on the dates in question, consult your medical provider. Vaccines are available to protect you, but only if you receive them within 14 days of exposure. That means some customers should get a vaccination today.
Symptoms of hepatitis A usually appear two to six weeks after exposure, and include mild fever, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, pain in the upper right abdominal pain, dark urine, and yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes.
