A warning for recent guests at an Allentown restaurant; you may have been exposed to Hepatitis A.
The Allentown Health Bureau is investigating a confirmed case of Hepatitis A in an employee at the Pasta Alla Rosa Restaurant on Hamilton Street.
While the Bureau says the employee only had limited food handling duties, they still recommend that anyone who ate at the restaurant between September 23 and October 7 receive vaccinations or immune globulin (antibodies).
The Bureau says that unvaccinated guests who ate at the restaurant during the previously mentioned time period should contact their health care provider to discuss post-exposure prophylaxis (prevention). The prevention is only beneficial if taken within 14 days of exposure. Guests at the restaurant who have already been vaccinated against Hepatitis A are protected and don’t need to take action.
The Bureau recommends that unvaccinated guests between the ages of 1 year and 40 years be vaccinated while unvaccinated guests over the age of 40 receive immune globulin.
Unvaccinated guests who don’t receive vaccination or immune globulin are advised to seek medical treatment if they begin to experience the following symptoms:
• Yellowing of eyes or skin
• White stool
• Dark urine
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
The Allentown Health Bureau will make vaccine available next Monday. From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., they will have a walk-in clinic at 245 North Sixth Street for unvaccinated guests between the ages of 1 and 40.
The Bureau also requested a supply of immune globulin from the Pa. Department of Health. The Bureau will offer it to unvaccinated guests over 40 once it becomes available.