Hundreds of people have been vaccinated against hepatitis A in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, after a worker at a Hardee’s restaurant was diagnosed with hepatitis A. Mecklenburg County Public Health opened two clinics to vaccinate people this week with the hepatitis A or immune globulin vaccine.
As of 3:30 pm on June 27, 2018, 895 people had been vaccinated against the pathogenic virus. The clinics are located at Public Health’s 249 Billingsley Road and 2845 Beatties Ford Road locations. Hours are 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. Starting on Friday and continuing hrough the weekend, hepatitis A vaccination clinics will be held at the Hal Marshall Center at 700 North Tryon Street. Hours for that clinic are 3:00 pm to 8:00 pm on Friday, and 10:00 am to 3:00 pm on Saturday and Sunday. Public Health also has a hotline you can call for questions. The toll free number is 844-221-1926, or in the Charlotte area, 980-314-9800.
The Hardee’s food service worker worked between June 13 and June 23, 2018. Anyone who ate there has two weeks to be vaccinated against the virus. That means that if you ate there on June 13, 2018, it’s too late for the shot. All you can do is watch yourself for the symptoms of hepatitis A and see your doctor if you do get sick.
Those symptoms include fatigue, nausea and vomiting, clay colored stools, dark urine, loss of appetite, low grade fever, dark urine, joint pain, yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice), and itching skin. People usually start getting sick two weeks to 50 days after exposure.
The best way to prevent this infection is to wash your hands thoroughly after using the bathroom, and staying home from work or school if you are sick, especially with a diarrheal illness. It can take two weeks for symptoms to appear after you contract this infection. Ten people have been diagnosed with this illness in Mecklenburg county since April 20, 2018.
