COLUMBUS, IN — An employee who handled food at Mark Pi's China Gate & Sushi Restaurant in Columbus has been diagnosed with a case of hepatitis A, according to the Bartholomew County health officials.
The infected employee was working at Mark Pi's, located at 2106 25th Street, from Wednesday, May 15 through Monday, May 20. Health officials recommend vaccinations for individuals who ate food at the restaurant during those dates.
In addition to contacting medical providers, anyone who consumed food or drinks at Mark Pi's from May 15 through May 20 is asked to do the following:
Monitor your health for up to 50 days after exposure for symptoms (see symptoms below) related to hepatitis A.
Wash your hands with soap and warm water, especially after using the bathroom and before preparing food.
Stay at home. If symptoms of hepatitis A develop, contact your healthcare provider.
Officials recommend that those individuals contact their medical provider or the Nursing Division for an appointment before Wednesday, May 29.
Indiana is one of several states experiencing an outbreak in hepatitis A cases.
Hepatitis A is a viral infection of the liver, which causes loss of appetite, nausea, tiredness, fever, stomach pain, brown-colored urine, and light colored stool. It is also possible that the skin and eyes can turn yellow.
This virus is usually spread through unknowingly ingesting objects, food, or drinks contaminated by small, undetected amounts of stool from an infected person.
According to the Bartholomew County Health Department release, Indiana health officials have been working to educate the public, restaurants, jails, the homeless population and those who use illicit drugs about the outbreak and way to prevent the disease.
