On June 1 and June 8, shoppers at Ace Hardware in Rome may have been exposed to hepatitis A, as a person with the disease prepared and cooked food during a cooking demonstration. According to the Oneida County Health Department, those who sampled food on June 8 are advised to get a hepatitis vaccine by June 22, as hepatitis A is a vaccine-preventable disease.
However, for those who ate food on June 1, the two-week window for the effectiveness of preventive treatment has already passed. Individuals who ate food in the store on June 8 can arrange a hepatitis A vaccine through their primary care doctor or through the health department. The department is holding a hepatitis A vaccination clinic on Friday, June 21 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Appointments can be scheduled through the ocgov.net website or by calling 315-798-5747 and pressing 2.
Ace Hardware has been informed of the situation and is cooperating with the health department. Symptoms of hepatitis A can include yellow skin or eyes, lack of appetite, upset stomach, stomach pain, vomiting, fever, dark urine or light-colored stools, joint pain, diarrhea, and fatigue. Symptoms typically appear 15 to 50 days after exposure, with 28 days being the most common. Hepatitis A is transmitted through food
