South Jersey Dunkin' customers warned about hepatitis A

WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP (Gloucester) — Anyone who consumed food or drink from a Dunkin' in South Jersey may have been exposed to Hepatitis A, according to the Gloucester County Health Department.

The exposure came from a worker at the Dunkin' located at 460 Hurffville-Crosskeys Road in the Turnersville section between May 18 and June 1. Although the risk is low, health officials recommend that anyone who was potentially exposed receive a post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) which consists of the hepatitis A vaccine and/or immune globulin.

The warning affects customers who ate at the coffee shop or used the drive-through.

To be effective, PEP should be received as soon as possible but no later than June 15, according to Jankauskas. PEP can be bought at any health care provider or from a pharmacy with a prescription.

Hepatitis A is a highly contagious liver infection caused by a virus that is spread through ingestion by objects or food contaminated by undetectable amounts of stool from an infected person. Hepatitis A can also spread from personal contact with an infected person such as through sex or caring for someone who is ill, according to the CDC.

Symptoms of hepatitis A include:

fever
fatigue
poor appetite
vomiting or abdominal discomfort
dark colored urine
clay colored (pale) stool
yellow discoloration to skin and whites of the eye (a condition known as jaundice)

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ