Eight people are sick and there is one possible death in a Pennsylvania hepatitis A outbreak that is associated with an unnamed Italian restaurant, according to a health advisory issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Health (PADOH) and the Montgomery County Office of Public Health (MCOPH). That restaurant is located in Montgomery County in Southeast Pennsylvania.
The eight cases are all lab-confirmed. Of seven people who gave information to public health investigators about their health, six, or 86%, have been hospitalized. One death is under investigation at this time.
Healthcare providers in the area should consider hepatitis A as a diagnosis in anyone who presents with jaundice or elevated liver enzymes and clinically compatible symptoms of the disease. All cases must be reported via PA-NEDSS. And laboratories should save serum samples for at least 10 days to assist public health officials in the investigation of this outbreak.
The health alert did not state how officials think the virus was transmitted, and did not give the dates when those sickened allegedly ate at that restaurant. There is a hepatitis A outbreak in Pennsylvania as well as many other states in the country that has been ongoing since 2017.
Symptoms of hepatitis A include a fever, jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes), fatigue, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, joint pain, diarrhea, light clay-colored stools, and dark urine. These symptom usually begin two to seven weeks after exposure to the virus, either through person-to-person contact, through contact with food and drink, or contact via contaminated surfaces.
If you have not been vaccinated against hepatitis A, especially if you work with the public, consider doing so. Everyone should stay home from work or school if they are sick. And, since the virus is transmitted through fecal matter, always wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water before preparing food for others.
If you or a loved one have been sickened with a hepatitis A infection after eating at an Italian restaurant in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, please contact our experienced attorneys for help at 1-888-377-8900 or text us at 612-261-0856. Our firm represents clients in lawsuits against restaurants and families in wrongful death cases.
