Anyone who dined at The Red Inn restaurant and hotel in Provincetown between April 30 and May 15 may have been exposed to hepatitis A and should contact their health care provider, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health announced Saturday.
A food service employee who worked at the Commercial Street restaurant during those dates has been confirmed as having a hepatitis A infection, the health department said in a press release.
Measures that prevent hepatitis A infections, such as the hepatitis A vaccine are generally only effective at if administered prior to symptoms appearing and within two weeks of exposure to the virus, according to the health department. Early symptoms of hepatitis A include fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and jaundice.
Hepatitis A infections can vary in severity, with mild cases lasting two weeks or less and more severe cases lasting four weeks or longer, according to the health department.
Some infected persons -- most often children -- may develop such a mild illness that it goes unnoticed, but even mildly ill people can be highly infectious, the health department said. People who show symptoms of hepatitis A infection should consult a health care provider even if their illness is mild.
Hepatitis A spreads through exposure to the feces of an infected person, close contact with an infected person or by ingesting food or drinks that have been handled by an infected person, according to the health department. Those who may have been exposed to the virus at The Red Inn are urged to wash their hands thoroughly prior preparing food to avoid further spread of disease.
The hepatitis A vaccine has been recommended as part of childhood immunizations since 1991, so people 34 years or younger may have been previously vaccinated, the health department said. Those who may have been exposed at The Red Inn are urged to check their vaccination status with their health care provider.
For more information on hepatitis A, call the health department's epidemiology department at 617-983-6800.