Ohio Restaurant Reports Hepatitis A Infected Staff Worked During Late June

The Henry County Health Department has been notified of a confirmed case of Hepatitis A in a food handler working at the Taco Bell restaurant located at 605 Wood Drive Napoleon, OH, which is located southwest of Toledo. 

“As soon as the operator of the Napoleon, OH Taco Bell location learned that a team member tested positive for the Hepatitis A virus, the franchisee began working immediately with Taco Bell and local health officials, following all protocols established by the Henry County Health Department." Taco Bell Corporate explained. 

"The team member in question is on leave and won’t return to work until cleared by medical professionals." 

"Additionally, all team members at this location have been offered vaccinations and will receive additional training on illness policies and procedures."

"Ensuring the health and well-being of our team members and our customers is our highest priority, which is why we are taking this matter so seriously," said Taco Bell in an email.

Any restaurant patrons who consumed food and/or drink from this Taco Bell restaurant between the dates of June 11, 2018, through June 28, 2018, may have been exposed to the Hepatitis A virus.

Hepatitis A is a vaccine-preventable, communicable disease of the liver caused by the hepatitis A virus (HAV). It is usually transmitted person-to-person through the fecal-oral route or consumption of contaminated food or water, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

Based on this potential exposure, the Henry County Health Department is recommending vaccination with a Hepatitis A vaccine or treatment with immune globulin (IG), for individuals who can’t receive the vaccine.

"Vaccinating against Hepatitis A exposure is not just for international travel. Ask your pharmacist about this 2-dose series at your next visit to your pharmacy to be protected against this preventable disease,” said Soni Bozeman, PharmD Clinical Pharmacist MTM and Immunization Specialist Brookshire Grocery Company.

People who have had Hepatitis A disease or have previously received two doses of the hepatitis A vaccine do not need to be vaccinated.

Anyone potentially exposed to Hepatitis A should contact their healthcare provider to be assessed for vaccination or IG treatment.

According to the CDC, the inactivated vaccines containing HAV antigen currently licensed in the United States are:

• the single-antigen vaccines HAVRIX® (manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline, Rixensart, Belgium) and,
• VAQTA® (manufactured by Merck & Co., Inc., Whitehouse Station, New Jersey) and,
• the combination vaccine TWINRIX® (containing both HAV and hepatitis B virus antigens; manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline).
• GamaSTAN S/D (Grifols Therapeutics, Inc., Research Triangle Park, North Carolina) immune globulin (IG) for intramuscular administration is the only IG product approved for HAV prophylaxis.

The efficacy of IG or vaccine, when administered greater than 2 weeks after exposure, has not been established, says the CDC.

Most pharmacies in the USA offer hepatitis vaccines. To schedule a vaccination appointment at a local pharmacy, please click here.

The CDC Vaccine Price List provides current HAV vaccine contract prices and general information, and vaccine discounts can be found here.

Vaccines, like any medicine, can have side effects, says the CDC. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of vaccines to the FDA or CDC.