After a local bartender was diagnosed with hepatitis A, hundreds of patrons of an American Legion hall and a restaurant near Hopkinton, NH, were advised to get vaccinated against the contagious liver disease. According to a Thursday story in the Boston Globe, Dr. Jose Montero, New Hampshire public health director, said that nobody else had shown symptoms since the bartender was diagnosed and it was unlikely anyone could have contracted the disease from that person, who was not preparing food. The bartender, whose name and gender were not released, reportedly worked at both the American Legion and the Covered Bridge Restaurant in the Hoptkinton village of Contoocook. Montero said that anyone who ate or drank at either place between July 20 and Aug. 3 should get vaccinated at special clinics set up in a local high school on Friday and Saturday. Those exposed to hepatitis A who are 40 years old or younger can receive the vaccine and may not develop the disease if they do so soon after exposure. Those older than 40 and younger than 12 should instead receive immune globulin. Symptoms of hepatitis A include fatigue, abdominal pain, jaundice, abnormal liver tests, dark urine and pale stool. State officials have posted a fact sheet with further details about the disease.
