If You Ate At This Hardee’s, You Might Need A Hepatitis A Shot

CHARLOTTE, NC — A statewide outbreak of Hepatitis A has been linked to an employee of a west Charlotte Hardee’s, according to Mecklenburg County health officials, who are now urging anyone who ate at the restaurant during a 10-day span this month get vaccinated immediately.

Hepatitis A is a highly contagious liver disease spread through a virus and can last for weeks to months. It spreads through the fecal-oral route, typically due to forgetting to wash your hands after using the bathroom or changing diapers, through eating contaminated foods or by having sexual contact with an infected person.

An employee of the the Hardee’s location at 2604 Little Rock Road in Charlotte was diagnosed with Hepatitis A on June 25, according to Public Health Director Gibbie Harris. The employee’s case is one of five new cases in Mecklenburg County since June 6, prompting state health officials and the Center for Disease Control to declare an outbreak of the liver disease in the county.

There have been 10 confirmed cases in Mecklenburg County since April 20.

“After consulting with the State today, we are recommending a vaccination for exposed employees and patrons who ate at the 2604 Little Rock Road location between June 13 and 23,” Harris said in a statement. “According to the CDC, the vaccine must be given within 14 days of exposure for the vaccine to be effective.”

Hardee’s customers who ate food from the restaurant on Little Rock Road on June 13 or June 14 are “strongly urged” to get their shots in the next two days.

Public health officials are conducting vaccination clinics for those who might have been exposed at the restaurant or those who have high-risk factors.

Vaccination clinics will be held:

• Wednesday, June 27 from 8 a.m. – 7.p.m, and Thursday, June 28 from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., at Northwest Health Department, 2845 Beatties Ford Rd. and Southeast Health Department, 249 Billingsley Rd., Charlotte.
• Friday, June 29 from 3 p.m. – 8p.m. at the Hal Marshall Building, 700 N. Tryon St., Charlotte.
• Saturday, June 30 and Sunday, July 1 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the Hal Marshall Building, 700 N. Tryon St, Charlotte.

(For more news like this, find your local Patch here. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here.)

According to public health officials, high-risk factors for Hepatitis A include:

• Those who are household members, caregivers, or have sexual contact with someone who is infected with hepatitis A
• Men who have sexual encounters with other men
• Those who use recreational drugs, whether injected or not
• Recent travel from countries where hepatitis A is common
• Homeless individuals who do not have easy access to handwashing facilities

Symptoms of Hepatitis A include nausea, fever, yellowing of the eyes and skin, dark urine, grey feces, joint pain, feeling tired, loss of appetite and stomach pain. According to health officials, the best prevention — aside from a vaccination — is through washing hands under warm, soapy water for at least 20 seconds after using the bathroom and before preparing food.

You can find more information about Hepatitis A here.

Photo via Shutterstock