The Red Inn hepatitis A exposure in Provincetown, Massachusetts occurred between April 30 and May 15, 2025, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. That restaurant is located at 15 Commercial Street in that city.
A food service employee who tested positive for hepatitis A worked at that restaurant on those days. Customers could have been exposed by eating food or drinking beverages during that time frame. Hepatitis A can also be spread through close contact or by contact with contaminated hard surfaces (fomites).
Unfortunately, it’s likely that anyone who ate there before April 11, 2025 is not eligible for a hepatitis A or immune globulin vaccination, since those vaccines are most effective when given within two weeks of exposure. Talk to your doctor about your options if that is the case for you.
Hepatitis A vaccines can usually be obtained through healthcare providers and some pharmacies. It’s important to get this shot if you ate at that restaurant on those dates to prevent this illness.
For anyone who can’t get the shot, monitor your health for the symptoms of hepatitis A for the next 50 days. Symptoms usually begin 15 to 50 days after exposure.
Symptoms of hepatitis A can include fever, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, light clay colored stools, dark urine, and yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes (jaundice). People are infectious for the first two weeks after exposure, before symptoms begin, which is how the disease spreads so easily. This Red Inn hepatitis exposure is proof of that fact.
The best way to prevent infection is to get vaccinated. It’s also important to stay home from work or school if you have any type of illness, especially vomiting or diarrhea.
