The Massachusetts Department of Health as well as Health officials in both Barnstable and Provincetown are warning residents who dined at The Red Inn, 15 Commercial Street in Provincetown that they may have been exposed to Hepatitis A and should contact their doctor. Residents who were at the complex from April 30 to May 15 were impacted by the announcement.
State officials say a food service worker at the restaurant has been confirmed with hepatitis A infection.
Vaccines are generally effective at preventing the infection if they are administered within two weeks of the suspected exposure.
According to a statement from the State Department of Health: “The early signs and symptoms of hepatitis A are fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and jaundice (dark urine, yellowing of the skin or the whites of the eyes). The illness varies in severity, with mild cases lasting two weeks or less and more severe cases lasting four to six weeks or longer. Some individuals, especially children, may not develop jaundice and may have an illness so mild that it can go unnoticed. However, even mildly ill people can still be highly infectious. People with illness suggestive of hepatitis should consult a health care provider even if symptoms are mild.”
State officials also say that since 1991, childhood immunizations Hepatitis A has been part of a vaccination regimen. That means those who are 34 and younger may have been previously vaccinated.
Officials say the restaurant is cooperating with the state and that the facility is safe and open to the public.
(Photo by LAURIE DIEFFEMBACQ/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images)
Photo: LAURIE DIEFFEMBACQ / AFP / Getty Images