Health Department Expects Hundreds of People to Clinic for Hepatitis A

Bartholomew County Health Department officials received 1,000 hepatitis A vaccines for a vaccination clinic for clients who might have been eating at Amazing Joe's in Columbus at the end of April.

The restaurant, located at 2607 Central Avenue, closed Wednesday to disinfect all surfaces of the establishment. The Ministry of Health has been informed that an employee of Amazing Joe, who describes himself as a barmaid and a server on social networks, exhibited symptoms of hepatitis A while he was working there in April.

Although it is relatively rare for restaurant guests to be infected with hepatitis A because of an infected food agent, the Bartholomew County Health Department Administrator, Collis Mayfield, said anyone who consumed food or beverages at the restaurant on April 22 and 26 vaccinated at a free clinic scheduled for Monday.

A vaccination clinic will be open from noon to 18h. Monday at the FairOaks Mall of the former Toys-R-Us store, 2380 25th St., where people likely to be affected will be able to receive a free vaccine for potential exposure to hepatitis A. The vaccine must be administered within two weeks of the last day of visit. exposure, according to the Department of Health.

Anyone who can not visit the clinic is asked to contact their personal health care provider.

Anyone who has consumed food and / or drunk at Amazing Joe's from April 17 to 22 is asked to monitor the symptoms of hepatitis A until 50 days after exposure, because the vaccine will not be effective in preventing the disease of people exposed more than 14 days ago. said the health department.

Hepatitis A is a viral infection of the liver that can cause loss of appetite, nausea, fatigue, fever, abdominal pain, brown urine and light-colored stools. According to the Department of Health, yellowing of the skin or eyes can also occur.

The virus spreads when a person ingests unconsciously the virus from objects, food or drink contaminated with small undetected amounts of faeces from an infected person, has announced the health department.

The virus spreads when an infected person does not wash their hands properly after using the restroom or adopts behaviors that increase the risk of infection, the health department said.

For more information on this story, see Saturday's Republic.