Hepatitis A Confirmed in Two Cup & Saucer Café Workers, Multnomah County Health Officials say

PORTLAND, OR – Two confirmed cases of Hepatitis A in Cup & Saucer Café employees has spurred a Multnomah County Health Department investigation, county spokeswoman Julie Sullivan-Springhetti announced Tuesday.

Health department officials first began investigating March 20 after reportedly learning a Cup & Saucer Café employee had contracted the disease, Sullivan-Springhetti said. Another employee case was confirmed April 3.

As a result, health department officials urge anyone who ate or drank at the Cup & Saucer Café at 8237 N. Denver St. between Feb. 22 and March 21, or between March 22 and March 29, to contact their health care provider at once. Anyone who ate or drank at the 3566 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd. location on March 22 or March 25 could also have been exposed and should likewise contact their health care provider, Sullivan-Springhetti said.

No cases have been reported from the Cup & Saucer Café at 3000 N.E. Killingsworth St.

From the Multnomah County Health Department:

Hepatitis A is a liver infection caused by the hepatitis A virus. It typically causes a temporary illness of fever, tiredness, belly pain, vomiting, diarrhea and jaundice (a yellowing of the skin or eyes). It is highly contagious, and people become infected by swallowing the virus, which is present in the feces of an ill person. It can spread from person to person by inadequate handwashing after using the toilet or changing diapers, or eating food prepared by an infected person. It can also be passed by sexual contact. Hepatitis A is not spread by saliva.

A person can spread the disease without realizing it. People can be infected by as few as 10 tiny particles. A person with hepatitis A may also spread the disease up to two weeks before they become ill with symptoms. It can take 15 to 50 days before a person who has been exposed becomes ill. While there is no specific treatment, less than 1 percent of people become seriously ill.

The best way to prevent hepatitis A is by getting vaccinated. Also, people who have been sick with hepatitis A in the past are protected for life. If you already know you have been vaccinated for hepatitis A, you do not need to seek preventive care at this time. Hepatitis A is now a required vaccine for Oregon children up to eighth grade, so if your school-age child is in this grade or a lower grade and is up-to-date on vaccines, he or she is protected. Also, people who served in the United States military should have received Hepatitis A vaccine, and should be protected.

"We consider the risk to be relatively low," said Dr. Jennifer Vines, deputy health officer for Multnomah County. "But there are vaccines that can lower the risk of illness if given within two weeks of possible exposure."

For more information on who to call or where to be vaccinated, visit the county health department website.

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