Shutterstock
If you’ve eaten at Popeyes lately, you might want to read this. Hepatitis A is usually transmitted when a person unknowingly ingests the virus after touching an object or consuming food that has been touched by an infected person.
We’ll explain why this is relevant.
In Yakima, Washington, health officials have reported five patients who have tested positive for acute hepatitis A in Yakima County near Popeyes. Hepatitis A is a disease of the liver. Many cases have no symptoms, and it takes two to six weeks to develop symptoms after being infected.
The disease is spread when someone eats or drinks food or liquids that have been infected. Close contact with an infected person can also transmit the virus. As a food establishment, Popeye’s is certainly susceptible to infection.
Each of the five cases resides within the population of homeless and illicit drug users in Yakima county. From October 23 to 31, there was potential exposure at Popeyes. Popeyes has now disinfected the restaurant and is currently working with the Yakima Health District to prevent further exposure.
If you experience these symptoms, you should contact your doctor immediately.
The health district of Yakima County says all customers who visited Popeyes from October 21 to October 31 should double-check their records to make sure they have been vaccinated against hepatitis A.
If they haven’t been vaccinated, they need to get the vaccine from their primary care provider as soon as possible. Around 1.4 million cases of hepatitis A occur each year, and there are around 114 million infections.
The virus is more common in areas of the world that have poor sanitation and unsafe drinking water. Once a person has been infected, they are immune to the virus for the rest of their life. Therefore, in the developing world, about 90% of children are immune to hepatitis A by adulthood because they were infected while they were still young.
