Potential hepatitis A exposure from South Philly Acme employee, Health Department warns

The city’s Department of Public Health says a worker at the Acme supermarket on East Passyunk Avenue in South Philadelphia has hepatitis A.

Anyone who ate pre-cut fruit and vegetables bought at the store from March 17 through March 29 is advised to take precautions against the virus by getting a hepatitis A vaccine as soon as possible, the Health Department said. Contact your health-care provider or local pharmacy for information about being vaccinated.

Those who have previously received two doses of the hepatitis A vaccine or who have already had hepatitis A do not need to be vaccinated.

If you need assistance getting a hepatitis A vaccine, contact the Health Department at 215-685-6741 Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Hepatitis A is an infection of the liver and differs from hepatitis B and hepatitis C. It is typically spread when a person with the virus does not thoroughly wash his or her hands after using the bathroom and then handles food.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, symptoms develop two to six weeks after contact with the virus and can include fever, stomach pain and diarrhea and vomiting. In more severe cases, hepatitis A can cause jaundice.