The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is warning patrons of Alta Restaurant in the West Village that they may have been exposed to Hepatitis A. Anyone who ate dessert at that restaurant from March 23 to April 2, 2013 should get a Hepatitis A vaccine as a precaution.
A food handler tested positive for the virus at the restaurant, which is located at 64 W. 10th Street in New York City. Hepatitis A is spread by putting anything in your mouth that is contaminated with fecal matter from an infected person. Symptoms of the illness include jaundice, fatigue, abdominal pain, nausea, and diarrhea.
The Health Department is working with the restaurant to find out who ate there and notifying those people who may have been exposed. The owners think that about 3,000 people visited the restaurant during that time period. About 15% ate dessert. No additional cases of Hepatitis A have been identified to date. The Health Department is offering free Hepatitis A vaccines to patrons at the Chelsea Health Center at 303 Ninth Avenue, 1st Floor in Manhattan April 6 from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm; April 7 from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm, and April 8 from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
If you have received a vaccine or have had the illness, you do not need another shot. The vaccine must be administered within two weeks of exposure to avoid developing the illness. The earlier the vaccine is received, the more effective it is in preventing the disease.
