Potential hepatitis A exposure reported at Penn Yan restaurant; free vaccine offered April 18

PENN YAN, N.Y. — People who ate at the Main Deck restaurant in Penn Yan between March 27 and April 12 may have been exposed to the hepatitis A virus, according to a release from Yates County Public Health.

Yates County Public Health is advising anyone who ate food from the restaurant, at 301 Lake St., between April 4 and April 12 to receive a free hepatitis A vaccine on April 18 from 1 to 7 p.m. at the Yates county Office Building, 417 Liberty St., Penn Yan. To register for an appointment, go to www.yatescountypublichealth.org. If unable to attend the clinic, or if you need help with scheduling an appointment, call (315) 536-5160.

Anyone who ate between March 27 and April 3 may have been exposed, but receiving the vaccine now will not prevent infection, according to Public Health, which encourages them to monitor themselves and their families for symptoms for 50 days since eating the food. Symptoms may include fever, fatigue, appetite loss, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dark-colored urine, clay-colored stools, joint pain, or jaundice. If you have symptoms, contact your healthcare provider.

The owner and staff at the restaurant have been “very cooperative” and have complied with all recommendations from state and local health departments, according to Public Health — which added that the state Health Department has conducted a thorough inspection and has cleared the restaurant to open.

While most people do not get sick when an employee at a restaurant has hepatitis A, a risk remains, Public Health said.