Hepatitis A exposure alert issued for 2 Whistler restaurants

Health authorities are warning people who dined at two Whistler restaurants between July 14-20 that they may have been exposed to hepatitis A and are eligible for a free vaccination.

Vancouver Coastal Health says the exposure occurred at Araxi Restaurant + Oyster Bar and at Il Caminetto, both located in the Whistler Village.

VCH says the risk of transmission is low but advises anyone who ate at either restaurant during the specified period to monitor themselves for symptoms of hepatitis A, which can take two to seven weeks to develop after exposure and last for about two months.

Symptoms include:

• Feeling very tired.
• Feeling sick to your stomach and not feeling hungry.
• Losing weight without trying.
• Pain on the right side of the belly, under the rib cage (where your liver is).
• Fever.
• Sore muscles.
• Yellow skin and eyes (jaundice), dark urine, and clay-coloured stools.

Anyone with symptoms is advised to seek care. "In most cases, the infection goes away on its own and does not lead to long-term liver problems. In rare cases, it can be more serious," reads the VCH release.

People who have been exposed can also receive a free dose of the hepatitis A vaccine at one of several locations in Vancouver, Whistler, Squamish, Richmond, and the North Shore. According to the VCH release, getting immunized with one dose of the hepatitis A vaccine can help to prevent infection if given within two weeks of exposure. 

Those who have previously been infected with hepatitis A or received two doses of vaccine are considered to be protected from infection.