Customers and staff at two S.C. Hardee’s may have been exposed to hepatitis A

S.C. health officials are warning customers who ate at two Hardee’s restaurants in Spartanburg County could have been exposed to the hepatitis A virus.

Authorities said the restaurants involved are a Lyman Hardee’s at 12209 Greenville Highway from Aug. 31 to Sept. 15, and one in Duncan at 1397 Main Street between Sept. 1 and Sept. 13.

The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control said Friday that an employee of the Lyman restaurant tested positive for the virus. DHEC investigated and found another worker at the Duncan Hardee’s who tested positive for the virus. The two workers know each other, a DHEC spokesman said.

Customers and workers who ate or drank beverages at the two restaurants could have been exposed.

Hepatitis A is a liver disease caused by the virus, said Dr. Anna-Kathryn Rye, a medical consultant to DHEC’s disease control bureau. “People usually become sick within two to six weeks after being exposed,” she said. “It’s important to get treatment as soon as possible to prevent the virus from developing into hepatitis A infection.”

Symptoms of infection include nausea, vomiting and jaundice.

Treatment is recommended within 14 days. Customers and staff who ate at the restaurants during the dates of exposure should seek treatment Saturday or Sunday at DHEC’s Spartanburg County Health Department, 151 E. Wood St. in Spartanburg, or the Greenville County Health at 200 University Ridge in Greenville. Both will be opened from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The vaccine has no benefits if administered more than 14 days after exposure, DHEC said.

DHEC is working with the two restaurants to identify and contact customers and staffers who might have been exposed. The illness is not a foodbourne outbreak.

This story was originally published September 18, 2015 at 7:01 PM with the headline "Customers and staff at two S.C. Hardee’s may have been exposed to hepatitis A."