BOSTON -- Two clinics to treat hepatitis A will be held this week for patrons of a Boston sub shop where a food handler tested positive for the highly contagious virus.
The worker at Quiznos Sub Shop in the city's Downtown Crossing shopping area tested positive over the weekend, city officials said in a statement.
The Boston Public Health Commission recommended that anyone who ate food from the shop June 17 through June 19 receive an injection before July 1. It is estimated that less than 600 people ate food from the sub shop on those dates.
The commission said it would hold clinics Tuesday and Wednesday at St. Anthony's Shrine on Arch Street to administer shots of immune globulin.
Hepatitis A can be transmitted through food preparation. The disease can damage the liver, causing jaundice, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal discomfort and dark urine.
Immune globulin protects against hepatitis A if given within two weeks of exposure. After that, there is no specific treatment, but most people recover without severe complications.
Hepatitis A virus is spread as a result of fecal contamination -- fecal-oral route -- and can be spread person to person or through food handling, particularly cold or uncooked foods including salads and salad items, rolls, breads, buns, fruit or vegetable garnishes, and sandwich condiments such as pickles and onions, chips, and ice or beverages containing ice, according to the state Department of Public Health.
John Fitchett, an executive vice president of Quiznos, said the shop will be thoroughly cleaned and workers reminded of safety precautions before reopening. He did not know when the shop would reopen, but said it would be as soon as possible.
"We will jump on it and take care of it," Fitchett said.
The Boston case comes after a Friendly's Restaurant worker in Arlington may have exposed people earlier this month.
In March, the state public health department investigated 31 cases of hepatitis A that were linked to a Marshfield deli, although no worker there tested positive. Also in March, state health officials said a worker at a Ludlow pizza shop tested positive. (AP)
** I am tired of hearing Hep A in the food !! ** It caused us paranoid for not going to the restaurant in this town.
The worker at Quiznos Sub Shop in the city's Downtown Crossing shopping area tested positive over the weekend, city officials said in a statement.
The Boston Public Health Commission recommended that anyone who ate food from the shop June 17 through June 19 receive an injection before July 1. It is estimated that less than 600 people ate food from the sub shop on those dates.
The commission said it would hold clinics Tuesday and Wednesday at St. Anthony's Shrine on Arch Street to administer shots of immune globulin.
Hepatitis A can be transmitted through food preparation. The disease can damage the liver, causing jaundice, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal discomfort and dark urine.
Immune globulin protects against hepatitis A if given within two weeks of exposure. After that, there is no specific treatment, but most people recover without severe complications.
Hepatitis A virus is spread as a result of fecal contamination -- fecal-oral route -- and can be spread person to person or through food handling, particularly cold or uncooked foods including salads and salad items, rolls, breads, buns, fruit or vegetable garnishes, and sandwich condiments such as pickles and onions, chips, and ice or beverages containing ice, according to the state Department of Public Health.
John Fitchett, an executive vice president of Quiznos, said the shop will be thoroughly cleaned and workers reminded of safety precautions before reopening. He did not know when the shop would reopen, but said it would be as soon as possible.
"We will jump on it and take care of it," Fitchett said.
The Boston case comes after a Friendly's Restaurant worker in Arlington may have exposed people earlier this month.
In March, the state public health department investigated 31 cases of hepatitis A that were linked to a Marshfield deli, although no worker there tested positive. Also in March, state health officials said a worker at a Ludlow pizza shop tested positive. (AP)
** I am tired of hearing Hep A in the food !! ** It caused us paranoid for not going to the restaurant in this town.
