Possible hepatitis A exposure has occurred at the Genghis Grill restaurant in Tempe Marketplace at 2000 East Rio Salado Parkway in Tempe, Arizona, according to the Maricopa County Health Department. Anyone who ate there on May 30, June 1, June 5, June 6, June 7, June 8, June 13, June 14, June 15, and June 18, 2019 may have been exposed to the virus. If you ate there on any day not listed, you were not exposed.
Unfortunately, since the vaccinations against this virus are only effective if given within two weeks of exposure, only people who ate there on June 18, 2019 can receive a hepatitis A or immune globulin vaccination today, July 2, 2019. If you ate there on that date and do not have health insurance, call Maricopa County to locate a county vaccination clinic. Tell the clinic you ate at Genghis Grill restaurant in Tempe Marketplace on June 18, 2019. Otherwise, call your doctor to arrange for a vaccination.
Everyone else who may have been exposed at the Genghis Grill should monitor themselves for symptoms of this illness. Those symptoms include nausea, diarrhea, loss of appetite, vomiting, fatigue, fever, abdominal pain, dark colored urine, clay colored stools, and jaundice (yellowing of the eyes and skin). Symptoms usually start 15 to 50 days after exposure.
lHepatitis A is a viral illness that affects the liver. It is very contagious and is spread by eating food, drinking water, and touching surfaces that are contaminated with stool from an infected person. To help prevent the spread of this illness, anyone who works with the public should be vaccinated. Wash your hands thoroughly after using the bathroom or taking care of someone who is sick, especially with a diarrheal illness. And stay home from school or work if you are ill.
