Mainers who ate at two Westbrook restaurants since mid-January may have been exposed to hepatitis A.
An employee was working at Legends Rest Taproom and Paper City BBQ on Main Street while infectious on Jan. 14, 17-21, 24-28 and 31 and Feb. 2-4, according to Lindsay Hammes, a spokesperson for the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Anyone who dined in or got takeout from Legends Rest Taproom and Paper City BBQ on those dates is at risk. There is no concern about exposure outside those dates, Hammes said Tuesday.
Symptoms of hepatitis A, a liver infection, include fatigue, nausea, stomach pain, dark urine and jaundice, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those can last up to two months.
Most people who contract hepatitis A do not have long-lasting illness, according to the federal health agency.
The best way to prevent hepatitis A is through vaccination, though good hand hygiene also plays an important role in preventing its spread, according to the Maine CDC. The Maine CDC strongly recommends hepatitis A vaccination for people who use drugs (injection or non-injection), people experiencing homelessness, men who have sex with men and people who are, or were recently, incarcerated.
People who ordered food from Legends Rest Taproom and Paper City BBQ on those dates should discard any leftovers. People should watch for symptoms of hepatitis A for up to 50 days after they ate, drank or worked at the restaurant.
