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Latest hepatitis A food service case: Harbor Restaurant worker

A food service worker at Harbor Restaurant at Pier 38 who was on the job as recently as Monday has come down with hepatitis A, the Health Department announced this afternoon.

People who ate at the restaurant from Aug. 26 to Sept. 12 may want to contact their health providers about getting a protective vaccine or immune globulin, the department said in a media release.

“Because of the long incubation period for hepatitis A, we are continuing to see new cases of this illness even after identifying and removing contaminated scallops from Hawaii restaurants, and individuals exposed in July and August may become ill as late as September or October,” said Dr. Sarah Park, state epidemiologist.

“We want the public to understand that this does not represent a new outbreak, nor is this restaurant considered a source of the ongoing outbreak.”

The risk of contracting the disease at the restaurant, located at 1133 N. Nimitz Highway, is low. The vaccine or immune globulin can prevent the disease if given within two weeks of exposure.

As of last week, there were 252 confirmed cases in the hepatitis A outbreak. The department will update the case count Wednesday.

7 responses to “Latest hepatitis A food service case: Harbor Restaurant worker”

  1. ukuleleblue says:

    It should be disclosed whether this worker ate tainted scallops or was in close contact with someone who got infected from eating the scallops. There still is no indication of actual risk of getting infected from secondary source such as restrooms or door handles or other public areas that may be contaminated.

  2. HRS134 says:

    Wasn’t there a big write up in the media about this restaurant as being “pro active” and vaccinating all of their employees, making it “mandatory”? Amazing that even with this mandatory vaccination, and employee still contracts the illness.

    • sailfish1 says:

      If this worker got the vaccine and then got hepatitis A, we have a bigger problem than anybody thought.

      A worker at Big City Diner wrote into Kokua Line asking if he/she had to get the vaccine after the restaurant made it mandatory. I wonder if that worker ever got the vaccine.

  3. cojef says:

    Stay away from fresh food. Yes,even veggies. Remember while,back cantaloupes were,tainted and found th t the soil WA,contaminated in California. Certain location are taboo for ground creeping produce.

    • On_My_Turf says:

      Fresh is ok, but not raw. I remember my Chinese born ex telling me that they did not eat anything raw in China. There is a reason why everything to be eaten was boiled, steamed or thrown into flaming oil.

  4. san_inu says:

    FYI. Harbor Restaurant is the new one above Nico’s. It’s closed right now.

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