What is hepatitis A? Taco Bell confirms virus case at Ohio restaurant

Employees of a Taco Bell in Ohio received a preventive vaccine against hepatitis A after a worker was placed for infection.

A Taco Bell person in Warren, Ohio, was confirmed by a case of hepatitis A, while eight other employees were showing symptoms of the virus, WFMJ reported on Monday. The results have not yet returned from the hospital, according to the TV channel.

In a statement to Newsweek, Taco Bell Corp. stated that the owner of the franchise affected by the virus had put the employee infected with the virus on leave and that the restaurant had been cleaned up. The franchise stated that she was working with the local health authorities during the investigation.

A sign is placed in front of a Taco Bell restaurant on February 22 in Novato, California. Taco Bell Corp has confirmed that an employee of a restaurant in Warren, Ohio, had contracted hepatitis A on Monday. Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

"As soon as the operator of this site in Warren, OH, learned that a member of the team had tested positive for the hepatitis A virus, the franchise immediately began to work with Taco Bell and the local health authorities. The member of the team in question is on leave and returns to work only after authorization from the health professionals. Vaccines have been offered to all team members currently working in this restaurant and the restaurant has been completely cleaned up, "the statement said. "In addition, all members of the team received additional training on policies and procedures related to the disease. Ensuring the health and well-being of our team members and clients is our top priority, which is why we take this issue so seriously. "

Hepatitis A is a vaccine-preventable liver disease that is usually transmitted from person to person or through the consumption of contaminated water or food, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (CDC). According to the CDC, symptoms of hepatitis A can appear two to six weeks after infection and may include fever, vomiting, fatigue, abdominal pain, jaundice, joint pain, loss of appetite, nausea, gray stools and dark urine.

The best way to prevent hepatitis A is to get vaccinated, according to the CDC. The CDC suggests that people who should be vaccinated against the virus are one-year-olds, travelers to countries where the virus is prevalent, family and caregivers of people adopted from countries with HIV. Hepatitis A, men who have sex with other men, users of recreational drugs, people with chronic or long-term liver disease, including l '; Hepatitis B or hepatitis C, and people with a clotting factor disorder, says the CDC.

The Ohio Department of Health declared an outbreak of hepatitis A throughout the state in June, the Dayton Daily News reported. In August, an employee of another Taco Bell in Miami Township, Ohio, was also diagnosed with hepatitis A, according to the publication.

The virus was also discovered at a Little Caesars Pizza restaurant in Paragould, Arkansas, in August. Health officials said that an employee was HIV-positive and encouraged clients who ate at the restaurant to get vaccinated against the virus.