A hepatitis A positive food worker at The Space at Factoria or Fin & Brew in Peekskill, New York worked while sick this month, according to a news release by the Westchester County Health Department. Factoria is an event space, and Fin & Brew shares an ice machine with that space. Anyone who ate at the private event at Factoria on Saturday, February 15, 2020 may have been exposed. Anyone who ate at Fin & Brew on Sunday, February 16 or Wednesday, February 19, 2020 also could have been exposed because of the shared equipment.
The Health Department has been contacting patrons to tell them about this possible exposure. Any customers of other restaurants in this complex aren’t at risk because those restaurants have separate facilities.
The Westchester County Department of Health is offering free preventative hepatitis A vaccinations starting Tuesday, February 25, 2020 to anyone who ate or drank at the Space at Factoria or at Fin & Brew during the dates mentioned above. This vaccination is only effective if given within two weeks of exposure, which means that anyone who may have been exposed on February 15, 2020 must get a shot by February 29, 2020 at the latest. If you have been vaccinated or if you have had a hepatitis A infection in the past you should be immune.
The vaccines will be given at the Health Department Clinic, located at 134 Court Street in White Plains, New York on Tuesday, February 25, from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm, and from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm. The clinic will also be open on Wednesday, February 26, 2020 from 11:00 am to 6:30 pm; and on Thursday, February 27, 2020 from 11:00am to 6:30 pm. You can also get vaccinated at other times by appointment during clinic hours. Call 914-995-7499 to make an appointment. You can also register online.
Factoria is cooperating with the health department and conducted a thorough cleaning last week. And staff were vaccinated last week.
Hepatitis A is a virus that causes a liver disease. Symptoms usually appear within 15 to 50 days, with the most common time frame of 28 days of exposure. Symptoms of hepatitis A include fatigue, poor appetite, abdominal pain, diarrhea, dark urine, light colored stools, and jaundice.
Dr. Sherlita Amler, Commissioner of Health, said in a statement, “I urge anyone who is eligible for treatment to get a Hepatitis A vaccine. There are no special medications used to treat a person once symptoms appear, but Hepatitis A transmission to others can be prevented through proper handwashing.”
