Officials Warn of Hepatitis A Exposure at NJ Grocery Store

A worker at a grocery store in Paterson may have exposed customers to hepatitis A, New Jersey health officials say. 

The food handler, who was confirmed to have hepatitis A, worked at Brother’s Produce at 327 E Railway Avenue in Paterson while "potentially infectious" between Sept. 30 and Oct. 5, the New Jersey Department of Health said Friday.

Anyone who ate produce from the grocery store during that time and wasn’t vaccinated against hepatitis A should receive “post-exposure prophylaxis” (PEP), the department said.

Customers who bought produce at the store between those dates should throw it out, the department added.

“PEP consists of hepatitis A vaccine and/or immune globulin which can further reduce the risk of acquiring hepatitis A,” the department said. “To be effective, PEP should be received as soon as possible, but no later than two weeks after eating contaminated food.”

“For most people, this date would be October 19, 2019,” it noted.

Hepatitis A is spread primarily via "close person to person contact" and contaminated food, health officials said.

Symptoms include “fever, feeling tired, poor appetite, dark yellow urine, stomach pain, diarrhea, vomiting, yellow skin or eyes” and often show up 3 or 4 weeks after a person gets infected.

Anyone who doesn't have health insurance and is 19 or older can receive PEP on a first-come, first-served basis on Saturday, Oct. 12, Sunday, Oct. 13 and Monday, Oct. 14 between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the Paterson Department of Health office at 176 Broadway, officials said.

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