Cracker Barrel worker tests positive for hepatitis A

Risk low, but vaccine consideration recommended

MINERAL WELLS -- People who ate at Cracker Barrel between Oct. 15-21 are being advised to consider getting the hepatitis A vaccine after a food service worker there tested positive for the viral infection.

The Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department made the announcement Monday morning in a joint press release with Cracker Barrel Old Country Store. An assessment by the health department determined the risk of infection was low, the release says.

The Mineral Wells restaurant voluntarily closed late Friday afternoon once test results confirming the employee had tested positive for hepatitis A were received, said Carrie Brainard, public information specialist for the health department. The facility was cleaned and sanitized overnight and reopened early Saturday morning following a health department inspection, she said.

"At Cracker Barrel, nothing is more important to us than the health and well-being of our guests and employees," Cracker Barrel Old Country Store spokeswoman Heidi Pearce said in the release. "We are also working in collaboration with the Health Department to arrange for a clinic to vaccinate all employees."

The investigation is related to the multistate outbreak of hepatitis A. An infected worker was reported at the Taco Bell in Belpre this spring.

Brainard said the Cracker Barrel employee is the first case involving a food worker reported in the Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department's eight-county service area.

"There have been no known cases of hepatitis A being passed from a food worker to a patron" in West Virginia, she said.

Still, the health department recommends people who have not been vaccinated against hepatitis A and ate at the restaurant during the period in question consider getting the vaccine. The release emphasizes this should be done "not more than two weeks from the potential exposure to help prevent infection."

Monday marked two weeks since the start of the potential infection period, Oct. 15-21. Brainard said the release was issued Monday based on the timing of the test results being received.

The release describes hepatitis A as a viral infection of the liver. Symptoms can include loss of appetite, nausea, tiredness, fever, stomach pain, brown-colored urine, light-colored stools and yellowing of the skin or eyes. Not everyone experiences symptoms, but those that do usually develop them within 28-30 days, although it can take up to 50.

"Hepatitis A usually spreads when a person unknowingly ingests the virus from objects, food or drinks contaminated by small, undetected amounts of stool from an infected person," the release says. "The virus spreads when an infected person does not wash his/her hands adequately after using the toilet, changing diapers, or engages in behaviors that increase risk of infection."

The best method to prevent hepatitis A infection is proper handwashing using hot water and soap after using the restroom, the release says. Hand sanitizer by itself is not effective for hepatitis A.

Most cases of hepatitis A reported in West Virginia have involved person-to-person contact, occurring primarily among people who are transients, those who are homeless, persons who use injection and non-injection drugs and their close direct contacts, the release says.

Anyone who thinks they might have symptoms of hepatitis A is advised to contact their health care provider, the release says. If someone working as a food handler experiences symptoms, that individual should not work and should be seen by a health care professional.