Possible hepatitis A exposure reported at Sunlife Organics in West Hollywood

Public well being officers are alerting Sunlife Organics juice bar prospects in West Hollywood of a doable hepatitis A publicity.

The Los Angeles County Division of Public Well being recognized hepatitis A virus an infection in a meals handler who labored on the location, officers stated in a information launch Friday.

Hepatitis A is a liver an infection attributable to the hepatitis A virus, the division defined. It causes acute liver illness, which can be extreme.

To this point, no extra circumstances tied to the juice bar have been recognized.

Nonetheless, the general public well being division recommends hepatitis A vaccination for patrons who obtained meals or drinks from Sunlife Organics in West Hollywood between March 14–17.

Vaccination is just not mandatory for individuals who beforehand accomplished the hepatitis A vaccine collection or had been contaminated previously. To stop an infection or scale back sickness, hepatitis A vaccine ought to be administered inside 14 days after a identified publicity. 

Hepatitis A vaccinations is likely to be out there by way of native pharmacies or physicians’ workplaces. As well as, the division might be providing free hepatitis A vaccinations to uncovered folks at Hollywood Wilshire Well being Middle on 5205 Melrose Ave. in Los Angeles on the following occasions:

• March 27 from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. 
• March 28 from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. 
• March 29 from 8 a.m. – 4p.m. 

Most individuals can have protecting ranges of antibody after one dose of the Hepatitis A vaccine however can select to go to their main care supplier to finish the collection with a second dose 6 months after receiving their first dose. 

Hepatitis A is very contagious and could be unfold from person-to-person by way of the fecal-oral route (when contaminated feces from an contaminated individual are one way or the other ingested by one other individual throughout shut private contact) or by consuming or ingesting contaminated meals or water.

Most adults with acute hepatitis A can have signs which will embody fever, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, stomach ache, darkish coloured urine and jaundice (yellowing of the pores and skin or eyes).

There isn’t a particular antiviral remedy.

Vaccination is the easiest way to forestall illness, the general public well being division stated. As well as, an infection could be prevented by vaccination inside 14 days after a identified publicity to an individual with infectious hepatitis A. Older adults and folks with weakened immune programs may profit from receiving immune globulin (IG) along with hepatitis A vaccination for prevention after an publicity.

For any questions on hepatitis A or the necessity for immune globulin, Public Well being recommends that you simply communicate to your main care supplier. In the event you wouldn’t have a daily supplier, name 211 for help.

The division stated it’ll proceed monitoring all identified people who could have been uncovered to people sick with hepatitis A.