A possible hepatitis A exposure at a Waffle House restaurant, which is located at 1010 Vinehaven Drive Northeast in Concord, North Carolina, has been reported by the Cabarrus Health Alliance. That facility is on Exit 60 off Interstate 85.
A worker at that restaurant may have worked while infectious with hepatitis A. Anyone who visited that restaurant and bought and ate food there on June 20, 2021 between the hours of 9:00 pm and 12:00 am, or on June 21, 2021 between the hours of 12:00 am and 7:00 am may have been exposed.
The window for getting a vaccination is just two weeks after exposure. That means that anyone who ate there on June 21, 2021 must get vaccinated today. You may ask your doctor about getting vaccinated if you ate there on June 20. The hepatitis A vaccine is available at local retail pharmacies and doctor’s offices.
The virus spreads through close contact with an infected person, through eating contaminated food and drink, and through contact with contaminated surfaces. It spreads when proper hand washing is not practiced.
Symptoms of hepatitis A include fatigue, sudden nausea and vomiting, dark urine, a low-grade fever, abdominal pain, especially in the upper right quadrant, clay-colored stools, loss of appetite, joint pain, intense itching, diarrhea, and jaundice, which is yellowing of the skin and eyes. Symptoms appear 15 to 50 days after exposure. And people are infectious up to two weeks before symptoms appear, which means they can spread the virus before they even know they are sick.
The best way to prevent the spread of the hepatitis A virus is to get vaccinated. If you have had this disease in the past you are most likely immune. And always wash your hands after using the bathroom and before preparing food or eating, and do not go to work or school if you are ill, especially with a diarrheal illness.
