Boise diner employee worked for 3 weeks while contagious with hepatitis A, officials say
A Boise food service employee worked several shifts in recent weeks while infected with the contagious hepatitis A virus, according to a news release from Central District Health on Wednesday.
The unidentified employee worked 13 shifts at the Black Bear Diner at 7530 State St. A second location at 1731 S Entertainment Ave. was not affected, officials said.
Hepatitis A affects the liver and can make people sick for several weeks. It can be transmitted through infected food or water, and infected individuals can spread the virus if they do not practice proper sanitation, such as hand washing, according to the World Health Organization.
The infected employee worked several shifts in January and February while contagious: Jan. 26, 30 and 31; and Feb. 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 13, 14, 15 and 16. Patrons who ate at the restaurant on Feb. 6 or later can receive a free hepatitis A vaccine from Central District Health. However, the vaccine is effective only within two weeks of exposure — so anyone who ate at the Black Bear Diner in January or the first two days of February has passed the window.
If you believe you may have come into contact with the virus, you can call Central District Health at 208-321-2222 to confirm your vaccine status or make a vaccine appointment.
Health officials urged restaurant patrons to watch for symptoms, such as abdominal pain, dark urine, fever, jaundice, nausea and vomiting. Symptoms can present between 15 and 50 days from exposure.
Central District Health said this is the first hepatitis A incident at the Black Bear Diner, but it’s the most recent in a string of hepatitis A exposures at Treasure Valley restaurants in the past eight months.
In July, an employee at Saint Lawrence Gridiron in Downtown Boise worked while contaminated. A month later, cases were reported at the Frontier Club in Meridian and the Red Robin on ParkCenter Boulevard in Boise. Health officials reported a hepatitis A outbreak in the Treasure Valley in 2019 and encouraged residents to get vaccinated against the virus.
