Customers Warned About Hepatitis A

Anyone who ate at the Sodbuster Restaurant and Bakery in the last few weeks may have been exposed to hepatitis A.

A person who prepared food at the restaurant was diagnosed Wednesday with the infection. But the case is unrelated to eight cases of hepatitis A in Jerome, said Maggi Machala of the South Central District Health Department.

Anyone who ate at the Sodbuster between 5 p.m. and midnight on Sept. 6, 7, 8 and 13 may have been exposed and should receive an immune globulin shot, which may be an effective prevention within 14 days of exposure.

People who ate at the restaurant on Aug. 23, 24, 25, 30, 31 and Sept. 1 also may have been exposed, but would not be helped by the shot. Health officials said they should watch for hepatitis A symptoms, including loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. Later symptoms include jaundice, dark-colored urine and light-colored stool.

Hepatitis A is an infection of the liver caused by a virus. If an infected person does not wash their hands after a bowel movement, the virus may be spread to others by direct contact or by consuming food or drink handled by an infected person.

The disease is infectious from two weeks before symptoms begin until two weeks after.

Meanwhile in Jerome, a total of eight cases of hepatitis A have been confirmed, but they were not unexpected, Machala said.

“We knew about them and were just waiting for lab confirmation,” she said.

The infected adults and children in Jerome all reside at the Casa Del Prado housing complex, but the illnesses are not related to the site.

There also are four probable hepatitis A cases in which people had contact with those who have been infected, Machala said. The illness was first diagnosed Friday in Jerome.