Health officials suspect recent outbreak originated with store employee.
Health officials in Utah are assessing the possible link to recent outbreak of Hepatitis A in the city of West Jordan to a 7-Eleven Inc. employee, according to a Salt Lake Tribune report.
The Tribune reports that up to 2,000 customers of the West Jordan 7-Eleven might have been exposed to hepatitis A and should get a preventative injection, the Salt Lake County Health Department recently announced.
The recommendation is for customers who visited the store, 2666 W. 7800 South, from Dec. 26 through Jan. 3 and who used any restroom there or consumed any of the following items:
- A fountain drink or other self-serve beverage;
- Any item from the store’s hot food case, such as pizza, hot dogs, chicken wings or taquitos.
Packaged items, including bottled beverages and microwaved foods, are not implicated in the possible exposure, the health department said in a news release, as reported by the Salt Lake Tribune. Customers who consumed only packaged or bottled items — as well as those who are fully vaccinated against hepatitis A (the vaccine is given in two shots) — don’t need to contact the health department, the release states.
The Texas-based retailer outlined to CSD in an email that it’s working with local officials to assist anyone affected by the incident.
“The health and safety of our customers is our top priority. We are working closely with the Salt Lake County Health Department regarding a single store associate who became ill in one store in West Jordan, Utah.,” 7-Eleven stated. “The store has been sanitized and the health department has cleared it to operate as usual. The affected store associate will not be allowed back to the store until cleared by a physician. As a precautionary measure, the health department has also administered the hepatitis A vaccine to every store associate working in this store. If you visited this store between Tuesday, Dec. 26, through Wednesday, Jan. 3, please contact the Salt Lake County Health Department at 385-468-INFO (4636).”
Those exposed must receive the preventative vaccine within a short time of their possible exposure so they should call as soon as possible, according to the departmental news release.
The city’s health department believes the case is linked to an ongoing outbreak Salt Lake County has been experiencing since August 2017.
