HEALTH

An East Tennessee restaurant temporarily closed because of hepatitis A

An employee at a McAlister's Deli in Kingsport tested positive for hepatitis A, the Sullivan County Regional Health Department said, and the restaurant has temporarily closed for cleaning and vaccination of its employees. 

The Health Department is telling customers who ate at the restaurant at 2003 N. Eastman Road between March 11 and March 27 to call the department.

Hepatitis A, which causes liver disease, can be contagious before symptoms show and after a person with it has recovered. Symptoms can include vomiting, diarrhea, dark urine, fever, fatigue, stomach pain, jaundice and a loss of appetite.

"This is our standard operating procedure when we encounter this situation," said Dr. Andrew Stephen May director of the Sullivan County Regional Health Department. 

The disease can be spread when an infected person doesn't wash their hands after using the toilet, then touches food, a surface or another person's mouth.

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The typical customer is at low risk

May said the possibility of foodborne transmission of the illness is low when proper food handling techniques are being followed, and the Health Department has "no suspicions" that wasn't the case at the deli. 

"We routinely offer vaccinations when we have a food service worker who is positive for the disease, especially if they were working at the time they were ill," May said, adding the deli worker was ill during the time the health department indicated.

May said the department has been inundated with calls about the illness and has set up a call center to handle them all. 

"It's all part of the emergency response, to have a team to handle calls efficiently, get people in and get them vaccinated," May said. "If we can give the hepatitis vaccine within two weeks of potential exposure, it is 95 to 98 percent effective at preventing the disease for up to 10 years."

When the second dose is given six months later, the vaccine is 99 percent effective at preventing the disease for a lifetime.

Should I be worried about my kid?

May said the health department isn't so concerned about exposed children contracting the disease because school-aged children in Tennessee public schools have all been vaccinated for the disease already.

"If kids who have eaten there aren't vaccinated, it's important to come in and get one," he said. 

So who is at higher risk?

The state department of health has been targeting an outbreak of hepatitis A among high-risk populations, which includes incarcerated men, people experiencing homelessness, those who use recreational drugs and men who have sex with other men. 

In the event of possible exposure, the risk is elevated for senior citizens, people who are immunocompromised, under chemotherapy or taking certain medications like prednisone or biologics (Humira, Enbril, and other drugs that target psoriatic and rheumatoid arthritis). 

Prevention is the best defense

May said the best step to avoiding an outbreak of the illness is preventing it from occurring in the first place.

"Always follow proper food handling techniques, no matter where you are," he said.

"The second phase of prevention is getting vaccinated. If you didn't eat at the deli but haven't been vaccinated, make an appointment with your primary care provider to discuss getting vaccinated against the illness."

What should I do if I was exposed?

If you ate at McAlister's Deli on North Eastman Road in Kingsport from March 11-27, free hepatitis A vaccines are available at both Sullivan County Regional Health Department locations: 154 Blountville Bypass, Blountville; and 1041 E. Sullivan St., Kingsport.

For more information, call the Sullivan County Regional Health Department at 423-279-2777.

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Who should get vaccinated?

Tennessee requires childrenhave the hepatitis A vaccination before entering kindergarten. It's also recommended for:

  • All children at age 1.
  • Travelers to countries that have high rates of hepatitis A.
  • Family members and caregivers of recent adoptees from countries where hepatitis A is common.
  • Men who have sexual contact with other men.
  • People who use recreational drugs, whether injected or not.
  • People with chronic (lifelong) liver diseases, such as hepatitis B or hepatitis C.
  • People who are treated with clotting-factor concentrates.
  • People who work with hepatitis A-infected animals or in a hepatitis A research laboratory.
  • People who live in conditions where personal hygiene may be difficult (such as homelessness).