Details revealed in 2 Hepatitis A cases in New Jersey

Health officials in New Jersey are providing details on two people diagnosed with Hepatitis A who ate from a restaurant where a food handler first contracted the virus.

One is a 53-year-old female employee at The Hair Port Salon in Trenton.

The other is a 60-year-old female fitness instructor at the Hamilton Area YMCA’s JKR Branch, the New Jersey Athletic Club in Lawrenceville and the Mercer County Board of Social Services.

Both are recovering.

The World Health Organization says Hepatitis A cases are rarely fatal.

Hepatitis A is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis A virus. The virus is primarily spread when an uninfected (and unvaccinated) person ingests food or water that is contaminated with the faeces of an infected person. The disease is closely associated with unsafe water, inadequate sanitation and poor personal hygiene.

Hamilton Township Health Office Jeffery Plunkett says the salon is being cleaned Friday under the monitoring by health inspectors. He says health officials have offered to inoculate staff members at the gym facilities where the 60-year-old works.

Officials say both people ate food from Rosa’s Restaurant and Catering, where Hepatitis A was reported in November.