200+ People Receive Hepatitis A Vaccination After Restaurant Sweet Scare
Over 200 people who visited a Manhattan West Village restaurant were given hepatitis A vaccinations during the weekend after it was found that one of the restaurant employees – who handed out sweets – was infected with the hep. A virus. That’s according to the New York City’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
Alta tapas restaurant patrons who visited from March 23 to Apr. 2 were possibly exposed to the virus. 31 of the restaurants employees were among the 239 people who got the vaccination.
According to the restaurant management, there were about 3,000 people who visited Alta tapas during this time period, of which 15 percent (or 450 people) ordered some kind of dessert.
The health department said there have been no confirmed cases of hep. A but advised people who ordered dessert from the restaurant to get the vaccination, just to be safe. The public learned of the incident on Friday after the warning from the health department. Restaurant patrons were able to get the free vaccinations over the weekend and would continue to be able to on Monday.
There is no indication from the health department that the virus spread to the food. And, there were no successful attempts to reach the owner of the restaurant.
The Health Department said Hepatitis A is spread by mouth from an infected person through traces of fecal matter. If people fail to wash their hands before they handle food, the food could become contaminated despite looking clean.
The virus causes damage to the liver and results in jaundice, which is a yellowing in both the eyes and skin, stomach pain, diarrhea, nausea and fatigue. Once there are symptoms, there is no precise treatment. Hepatitis A is not typically fatal although it could require hospitalization for folks suffering from a weakened immune system or liver disease.
The Health Department said about 65 cases of Hep. A occur annually in the city with at least one case occurring because of food handlers.
On Friday, the Alta tapas owner said the infected employee no longer works for the restaurant.
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