LI Jersey Mike’s worker tests positive for hepatitis A as officials warn customers could be at risk
A Jersey Mike’s worker in Nassau County who “directly handled food” has tested positive for hepatitis A, leaving customers who ate at the sandwich shop recently at risk, health officials warned.
County health officials confirmed late Friday that an employee at the Jersey Mike’s in Oceanside tested positive for hepatitis A and said that anyone who ate or drank there — or visited the shop’s bathroom — between April 5 and April 19 may have been exposed.
Officials also revealed the worker directly handled food at the sub store, potentially contaminating all of the ingredients and tableware. And they are urging anyone who visited the location to contact their doctor immediately.
“Though the risk of transmission is considered low, out of an abundance of caution, individuals who may have been exposed are advised to speak to their healthcare provider,” the Nassau County Department of Health said in a statement.
It is unclear how the Jersey Mike’s worker contracted the virus.
Hepatitis A — a liver infection — typically spreads when an infected person doesn’t wash their hands properly after using the bathroom, leaving traces of fecal matter on food, drinks or anything they touch, officials said.
Antibiotics cannot treat someone once symptoms appear — generally between two to seven weeks after being exposed — although they can take up to a month to show up.
Symptoms may include the yellowing of your skin and eyes, nausea, stomach pain, joint pain or even dark urine and pale stools, according to the CDC.
The virus is typically mild and short-term, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — but can be deadly in rare circumstances, especially for people over 50 and those with preexisting conditions or compromised immune systems.
Anyone who’s already had hepatitis A or received both doses of the vaccine is protected, according to the health department, although a single vaccine dose may help prevent infection if given within two weeks of exposure.
