According to news reports, the Maine Centers for Disease Control says that a worker at The Birches Resort in Rockwood, Maine has been diagnosed with hepatitis A. That person handled food while infectious between September 2 and September 22, 2020.
That means that anyone who ate at that restaurant or worked there from September 18 through September 22, 2020 should be vaccinated against the virus. Unfortunately, it’s too late for a vaccine for anyone who visited that location before September 18, 2020 because there is two-week window after exposure where the vaccine is effective. All those people can do is monitor their health for symptoms of the illness.
Anyone who may have had dine-in, take-out, delivery, or curbside pickup of food from the Birches Resort in Rockwood should talk to their healthcare provider. If anyone starts showing symptoms, they should seek medical attention.
Symptoms of hepatitis A include tiredness, loss of appetite, stomach and abdominal pain, especially in the upper right quadrant, nausea, dark urine, light clay-colored stools, diarrhea, and jaundice, which is yellowing of the skin and eyes. These symptoms usually begin 15 to 50 days after exposure. And after a person is infected but before symptoms appear, they are contagious.
Hepatitis A is spread through contaminated food and water, by touching contaminated surfaces and then eating or touching your face, and through person-to-person contact.
The best way to prevent the spread of this illness is to get vaccinated. In addition, anyone who is sick, especially with a diarrheal or vomiting illness, should stay home from work or school until they have fully recovered. It’s also important to wash your hands with soap and water after using the bathroom, after taking care of someone who is sick, and before preparing foods or eating.
