State health officials confirmed Tuesday that a food service worker at two Westbrook restaurants has contracted hepatitis A, a contagious liver disease.
The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention asked staff and patrons who dined at Legends Rest Taproom and Paper City Barbecue in the last three weeks to contact their health care providers. The disease can be spread through person-to-person contact or by consuming contaminated food or water.
The infected employee worked at those restaurants – both at 855 Main St. – for a total of 15 days in January and February, including as recently as this past Sunday, the CDC said in a statement. The employee’s earliest day of infection was Jan. 14. They also worked Jan. 17-21; Jan. 24-28; Jan. 31; and Feb. 2-4.
Legends Rest Taproom in a post on its Facebook page told patrons that it learned Tuesday morning that a staff member tested positive for hepatitis A. Legends closed Tuesday and Paper City BBQ is not open on Tuesdays.
“Out of an abundance of caution we are taking the day to deep clean,” Legends said in its post. “We are working closely with the Maine CDC to ensure the safety of our staff and customers. Thank you for your understanding.”
The CDC urged people to look for symptoms, which begin to show up 15 to 50 days after a person is infected. They include fatigue, loss of appetite, stomach pain or nausea, diarrhea or dark urine, jaundice (yellowing of the skins and eyes), fever and joint pain.
“Anyone who dined in or ordered takeout from these locations during these dates could be at risk for hepatitis A infection,” the CDC said. “The proprietors are working closely with the Maine CDC, and there is no concern about ongoing exposure outside of these dates.”
Anyone who may have been exposed on those dates should discard any leftover food purchased from either restaurant. Anyone who worked, ate or drank at the restaurants should get a hepatitis A vaccine within 14 days of their last visit.
After one dose, at least 94 out of 100 people become immune for several years.
The CDC said that cases of hepatitis A in Maine have remained elevated since the state experienced an initial increase in 2019.
For more information on hepatitis A, visit cdc.gov/hepatitis/hav.
Copy the Story LinkSend questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.