Worker may have exposed some to Hepatitis A

A worker at a West Palm Beach restaurant may have exposed customers to Hepatitis A, a contagious liver disease that is spreading throughout Florida.

The Florida Department of Health Palm Beach warned customers of the Butcher Shop Beer Garden & Grill Restaurant at 209 Sixth St. in West Palm Beach that a food service worker has been diagnosed with Hepatitis A and may have exposed guests who visited the restaurant between April 10 and May 1.

Hepatitis A is a highly contagious disease that attacks the liver. It has been spreading in Florida, with 91 new cases in the last week, bringing the state total to 1,220.

The Butcher Shop Beer Garden & Grill is owned by a father and son duo who launched their concept Officials warned customers of the Butcher Shop Beer Garden & Grill Restaurant that a worker has been diagnosed with Hepatitis A and may have exposed guests who visited between April 10 and May 1.

for marrying a beer garden and butcher shop into one, with their first restaurant in Wynwood. A restaurant employee in the West Palm Beach location said the manager is preparing a public statement.

Health officials say anyone who ate at the restaurant from April 10 to May 1 may have been exposed to virus. Employees were told to watch for symptoms of Hepatitis A if they have not been immunized.

The Hepatitis A virus is spread when a person unknowingly ingests the virus from other humans, objects, food or drinks that have been contaminated with small undetected amounts of stool from an infected person.

People infected with Hepatitis A are most contagious from two weeks before onset of symptoms to one week afterwards. Not everyone who is infected will have all the symptoms. Symptoms usually start within 28 days of exposure to the virus with a range of 15-50 days.

Health officials say restaurant customers should monitor for symptoms of Hepatitis A infection, which include sudden onset of abdominal discomfort, dark urine, fever, diarrhea, pale white stools, and yellow skin and eyes ( jaundice). Vaccination could provide protection if given within two weeks after being exposed. In some areas of the state, the health department is offering free vaccination, but in Palm Beach County, officials are suggesting anyone who wants a vaccine should call their physician’s office or local pharmacies.

Over the weekend, The Florida Department of Health warned customers about a Sarasota restaurant that they may have been exposed to Hepatitis A between April 26 and May 10. On May 7, three Pasco County restaurant workers tested positive for Hepatitis A. Restaurant workers in the Tampa Bay/Clearwater area also have tested positive for Hepatitis A in recent months.

Carina Blackmore, Florida Department of Health’s state epidemiologist, said less than 5 percent of reported cases this year have been food workers. In addition, she said, “We have not identified any cases associated with this outbreak who have become sick from food handled by a Hepatitis A positive food handler.”

The Florida Department of Health has been giving out an average of 5,000 or more vaccinations per week in the high risk communities throughout the state — people who are homeless, drug users or males who have sex with other males.

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