Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) has issued a second hepatitis A exposure notification in as many days, this time for Pepper Creek Pizza and Pasta at 4330 Sunshine Coast Highway, in Wilson Creek (Sechelt).
People who ate salads from Pepper Creek Pizza and Pasta between July 31 and Aug. 14 and Aug. 23 to 29 may have been exposed to the virus, the notice said. People who consumed foods like pizza, sandwiches and pasta from the site are not at risk of exposure, the notice said.
This comes after a notice issued Thursday for Sea Monkey Coffee at Sunday Cider outside of Gibsons for the period of Aug. 1 to 25. The Gibsons notice does not include customers of other businesses at 1632 Sunshine Coast Highway, including the cidery itself. It also does not include people who dined at the food truck outside of these dates or who consumed only drinks at the venue.
Vaccines are effective at preventing hepatitis A infection if administered within two weeks of exposure, so people who ate salad at Pepper Creek between Aug. 23 and 29 or ate at Sea Monkey Coffee between Aug. 15 and 25 are recommended to receive a vaccine as soon as possible. Vaccines are available at clinics and pharmacies across the region.
"Although the risk of transmission to the public is low, VCH Public Health advises anyone who consumed food from either of these locations during the noted dates to monitor themselves for symptoms of hepatitis A, which can take two to seven weeks to develop after exposure and last for about two months," the notice said. It was issued Friday at about 5:45 p.m.
Symptoms of hepatitis A include feeling very tired, feeling sick to your stomach and not feeling hungry, losing weight without trying, pain on the right side of the belly under the rib cage (where your liver is), fever, sore muscles, yellow skin and eyes (jaundice), dark urine and clay-coloured stools.
If someone has symptoms of hepatitis A, they should see their health care provider. "In most cases, the infection goes away on its own and does not lead to long-term liver problems. In rare cases, it can be more serious," said the notification.
Those previously infected with hepatitis A or who were vaccinated with two doses before exposure are considered protected.
Read more about hepatitis A at vch.ca/en/health-topics/hepatitis-a. People who think they have been infected can also call HealthLink BC at 811.
