A possible hepatitis A exposure at PF Chang’s in Destiny USA, which is located at 9090 Destiny USA Drive in Syracuse, New York, may have put customers at risk for contracting the virus, according to news reports and the Onondaga County Health Department. A restaurant worker who handles food at that establishment was diagnosed with the illness.
Anyone who ate or drank at that facility between Friday, July 31, 2020 and Sunday, August 2, 2020 may have been exposed to the virus. Unfortunately, it’s too late for the immune globulin or hepatitis A vaccine, since those shots are only effective when given within two weeks of exposure. It’s been 18 days since the last possible exposure occurred.
If you were at that restaurant on the above dates, monitor yourself and your family for the symptoms of hepatitis A for the next 50 days. That’s how long it can take for symptoms to develop. This virus is very contagious and can spread through contaminated food and drink as well as person to person contact.
These symptoms include fever, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, weight loss, dark-colored urine, abdominal pain, especially in the upper right quadrant, joint pain, clay-colored stools, and jaundice, which is yellowing of the skin and eyes. These symptoms may last for weeks or months, but most people recover on their own.
Some people, however, especially the elderly and people with liver disease can become serious ill and experience liver failure. If you have had these symptoms and are part of the group that may be at risk for the hepatitis A exposure at PF Chang’s, or if you are concerned, contact your doctor.
The best way to prevent this illness is by getting vaccinated against the virus. If not, always wash your hands before eating and before preparing food for yourself or others, as well as after changing diapers and caring for someone who is sick. And do not go to work or school if you are sick, especially if you have a diarrheal illness. There is no longer any risk to eating at that restaurant.
