Vaccine Still Available for People Possibly Exposed to Hepatitis A at Albertsons in Littleton

Tri-County Health Department will continue to give shots against potential exposure to hepatitis A at an Albertsons in Littleton. The grocery store is located at 3615 West Bowles Ave., which is located at West Bowles Ave. and South Platte Canyon Road.

One produce handler tested positive for hepatitis A, a disease that could have been passed to anyone who ate certain raw produce items directly handled by that employee. No other Albertsons store locations are affected, and all other Albertsons employees at this location who handle food have been given preventive shots.

The potentially-risky foods are limited to: 1) green onions; 2) celery that has had the leaves cut off; 3) all lettuce that is not pre-bagged; 4) any watermelon, cantaloupe or honeydew melon that has been cut into half or quarters; and 5) plastic containers that contained only pre-cut watermelon.

The potentially-risky produce was sold prior to April 17. Anyone who still has these specific food items from this one Albertsons should NOT eat the food, and they should dispose of it in the trash or garbage disposal or return the items to the store. After handling these items, individuals should wash their hands thoroughly.

Knowing that people may have kept the produce in their refrigerator, the health department is recommending shots for anyone who purchased any of these five specific foods prior to April 17 and ate them uncooked within the last 14 days.

“While we believe that the risk to public’s health is low because the employee followed good hand hygiene practices and wore gloves, we offer shots within 14 days of eating these specific foods in order to help prevent illness,” states Richard L. Vogt, MD, Executive Director of Tri-County Health Department. “However, if more than 14 days have passed since the food was consumed, a shot is no longer effective, and people need to look for the possible symptoms of hepatitis A.”
“The risk is already very low to begin with, and we lowered the risk even more by offering either vaccine or immune globulin,” Vogt added.

If symptoms appear, people should contact their health care provider and NOT handle or prepare food for others. For most people, symptoms usually appear 3-4 weeks after exposure. Symptoms are more severe in adults than in children.

These symptoms may include fever, tiredness, loss of appetite, nausea, abdominal discomfort, dark urine, gray or white stools, and jaundice (yellowing of the eyes or skin).

At a walk-in clinic on Monday and Tuesday, 1,403 people were assessed for eligibility and 1,264 received shots. It was determined that 139 people should not receive the shot for a variety of reasons. These include not consuming the specific foods in question; eating the foods after cooking them to proper temperature; having eaten the food more than 14 days prior, and the shot would not be effective; and already being immune to hepatitis A from a prior illness or vaccination.

Shots are still being given free-of-charge at several local Tri-County Health Department offices.
Concerned people should call 303-220-9200 first, so that health department staff can help determine if they actually need to get a shot. People who have had a vaccination for hepatitis A or have had hepatitis A in the past are protected from further infection, so there is no need for a shot.

Hepatitis A virus is shed in the stool and can be spread when an infected person does not properly wash their hands after using the bathroom, and then touches food or objects that others will put in their mouth. It is NOT spread by kissing, hugging, sneezing or casual contact.
Thorough handwashing can prevent the spread of this virus. As a prevention measure, people should always wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water after using the bathroom, after diapering, before preparing food, and again before eating. In addition, people should always wash their produce before eating.

According to store records, about 3,000 of these items were sold. Individuals who bought other produce at this store or anything at other Albertson’s stores do NOT need to be concerned. Consumers can call Albertsons at 1-877-932-7948 for more information.

More information about hepatitis A is on the Tri-County Health Department website, www.tchd.org. Information about receiving the vaccine is available at 303-220-9200.