An employee of the Miami Township Taco Bell restaurant, which is located at 889 State Route 28 in Milford, Ohio has been diagnosed with hepatitis A, according to Clermont County Public Health. That employee worked at that restaurant on August 15, 16, and 17, 2018.
It’s still early enough that anyone who ate at that restaurant on those days can get a hepatitis A or immune globulin vaccination to prevent this illness. The type of vaccination given depends on several factors, including the age of the patient and their health. For instance, anyone who has chronic liver disease or is immunocompromised would receive the immune globulin vaccine. These vaccines are only effective if given within two weeks of exposure to the pathogenic virus.
The restaurant has been cooperating with the investigation. Health Commissioner Julianna Nesbit said in a statement, “The restaurant management has been very cooperative and we are working with them to review safe food handling techniques.”
The symptoms of a hepatitis A infection include fatigue, loss of appetite, stomach and abdominal pain, nausea, clay-colored stools, dark urine, and jaundice, which is a yellow color in the skin and eyes. The virus is very contagious, and is spread through person-to-person contact, contaminated food, and contaminated surfaces such as countertops and door handles.
The best way to prevent this illness is to wash your hands well after using the bathroom and before eating or preparing food for others. If you have a diarrheal illness, stay home from work or school.
Unfortunately, someone with this illness is infectious two weeks before symptoms appear. That’s why there are so many alerts from health departments about possible exposure from restaurant employees.
There is a hepatitis A outbreak in Ohio that has sickened at least 256 people so far this year. And a nationwide hepatitis A outbreak has caused hundreds of illnesses and some deaths.
