Health officials warn of hepatitis A exposure at a Dunkin’ Donuts in South Jersey

Friday was national Doughnut Day. But the Dunkin’ Donuts in Turnersville might not have been in celebration mode.

Gloucester County health officials are warning customers of the shop on Hurffville Cross Keys Road that they may want to get the hepatitis A vaccine if they ate there between May 18 and June 1. A worker at the shop tested positive for the communicable liver disease, according to NBC10.com.

Even though customers’ risk of infection is small, it is standard for health officials to recommend the shot for unvaccinated people who may have been exposed to the virus.

After learning of the employee’s infection, the Dunkin’ Donuts manager took immediate action to notify county health officials, and clean and disinfect the restaurant, NBC10 reported.

Hepatitis A is usually transmitted when an infected person does not thoroughly wash their hands after using the bathroom and then prepares food, explains the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Unlike other types of hepatitis, hepatitis A infection usually resolves within two months and does not result in chronic infection. The symptoms include fatigue, low appetite, stomach pain, nausea, and jaundice. (Most children under age 6 do not have symptoms if they get infected.)