2nd hepatitis A exposure reported on B.C.’s Sunshine Coast

Sechelt, B.C., is shown in this undated photo. (Shutterstock.com)

Officials are warning of another hepatitis A exposure at a restaurant on B.C.’s Sunshine Coast.

Anyone who ate a salad at Pepper Creek Pizza & Pasta in Sechelt between July 31 and Aug. 14, and from Aug. 23 to 29, may have been exposed to the disease, according to a Vancouver Coastal Health bulletin issued Friday.

Officials said people who consumed cooked foods at the restaurant are not at risk of exposure.

On Thursday, health officials warned of a hepatitis A exposure at the Sea Monkey Coffee food truck while it was in Gibsons from Aug. 1 to 25.

A hepatitis A vaccine can prevent infection if given within two weeks of exposure, so the health authority is recommending anyone who ate salads at Pepper Creek Pizza & Pasta or food at Sea Monkey Coffee to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

Officials said the risk of transmission to the public is low but asked anyone who may have been exposed to monitor for symptoms of the liver infection, which can develop up to seven weeks later.

“If you have early symptoms of hepatitis A it is very important to see your health care provider. In most cases, the infection goes away on its own and does not lead to long-term liver problems. In rare cases, it can be more serious,” the bulletin reads.

Hepatitis A symptoms include:

• Feeling very tired
• Feeling sick to your stomach and not feeling hungry
• Losing weight without trying
• Pain on the right side of the belly, under the rib cage (where your liver is)
• Fever
• Sore muscles
• Yellow skin and eyes (jaundice), dark urine, and clay-coloured stools