A possible Hepatitis A exposure occurred in September at Marco’s Italian Restaurant in Lewiston, Maine. This is according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which is part of the Maine Department of Health and Human Services. That restaurant is located at 12 Mollison Way in Lewiston.
The infected food service worker worked at that restaurant on these dates: September 11, 13, 15 through 16, 18, 20 through 22, 25, and 27 through 28, 2023. Anyone who ate food and drink from that restaurant, or purchased food to go during those days may have been exposed to the virus.
The hepatitis A vaccine, which prevents infection, is only effective if given within two weeks of exposure. That means that anyone who ate there before September 21, 2023 needs to monitor their health for the symptoms of this illness. If you were exposed and can get a vaccine, contact your healthcare provider. The vaccine is available for anyone who does not have health insurance at facilities across the state of Maine.
The vaccine is a two-dose series. After one dose, at least 94% of people become immune for several years. It is important to get both doses for long-term protection.
If you have food from Marco’s Italian Restaurant in Lewiston, purchased on the above dates, in your home, discard it immediately. If it has been more than two weeks since your potential exposure, contact your doctor to ask about being vaccinated to protect against future exposures. If you are already vaccinated against hepatitis A, you are protected.
The symptoms of hepatitis A may not appear until 50 days after exposure, but most people get sick within a few weeks. During the first two weeks of infection, there are no symptoms. That’s how the virus spread; people don’t know they are sick and infectious.
Symptoms of a hepatitis A infection include lethargy, tiredness, little or no appetite, stomach and abdominal pain, especially in the upper right quadrant, nausea, diarrhea, dark colored urine, light clay-colored stools, fever, joint pain, and jaundice, which is yellowing of the eyes and skin. If you do get sick, stay home from work and school until your doctor says you are well again.
