Airdrie restaurant worker has confirmed hep A case, says AHS

An employee who prepared food at an Airdrie, Alta., restaurant in May and June has a confirmed case of hepatitis A, according to Alberta Health Services.

Anyone who ate at Thang Long Vietnamese Cuisine at 304 Main Street South in Airdrie between May 27 and June 13 may have been exposed and should call Health Link at 811 immediately, AHS said in an emailed release on Monday.

The agency said those people may be eligible for immunization clinics that are planned for Tuesday and Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Airdrie Town and Country Centre.

People can be immunized only within 14 days of being exposed, the agency said. 

Anyone who may have been exposed should monitor for symptoms of hep A up to 50 days after they ate at the restaurant.

Initial symptoms include:

• Tiredness.
• Poor appetite. 
• Nausea and vomiting.
• Abdominal pain.
• Fever.

Those symptoms may be followed by dark coloured urine and yellowing of eyes and skin days later. Some people may also get infected without showing symptoms, but they can still be infectious to others.

"While we believe the risk to the public is low, hepatitis A is a serious infection," said Dr. Jia Hu, the medical officer for the Calgary zone.

Hep A is a liver infection caused by a virus, and it's spread by fecal-oral contact. It can be spread by direct contact with an infected person or by ingesting contaminated food or water if someone preparing food hasn't properly washed their hands.