Maine Restaurant Worker Tests Positive for Hepatitis A

According to News Center Maine, the Maine CDC can confirm that an employee at the Saco House of Pizza has tested positive for hepatitis A. They say that the person who has tested positive is in fact an employee that handles food at the eatery.

Maine CDC indicates that both fellow staff members and patrons of the restaurant who were there between August, 5th and August, 21st may be at risk for infection. While the infected individual was not responsible for preparing the food in the kitchen, they did have access to it.

Owner of the Saco pizzeria, Stacy Hill, told News Center Maine that the employee in question is a part-time delivery driver who does not handle or prepare food. She goes on to explain that by the time this employee receives food for delivery runs that it is already sealed in to-go containers and doesn't have any direct contact with the food itself.

While there are three different types of hepatitis, this is is how WEB MD describes hepatitis A,

Hepatitis A, also called hep A, is a contagious liver infection caused by the hepatitis A virus. Some people have only a mild illness that lasts a few weeks. Others have more severe problems that can last months. You usually get the disease when you eat or drink something contaminated by poop from a person who has the virus. The hepatitis A virus usually isn’t dangerous. Almost everyone who has it gets better. But because it can take a while to go away, you’ll need to take care of yourself in the meantime.The medical website goes on to explain that common symptoms of hepatitis A include belly pain, dark urine, joint pain, fatigue, fever, loss of appetite, vomiting and itching among other less-common symptoms.