7-Eleven Hepatitis A Outbreak Exposes Up To 2,000 Customers

Apparently the chicken wings aren't the worst thing you could consume at 7-Eleven. At one location, hepatitis A contamination was on the menu.

Customers of a 7-Eleven in West Jordan, Utah, are being urged to seek immediate medical attention after health officials discovered a possible outbreak of hepatitis A at the store. An employee infected with the virus continued to work after he had fallen ill, touching and potentially contaminating the store's food and drink items. Experts estimate that the contamination might have placed up to 2,000 store visitors at risk.

The Salt Lake County Health Department believes that this unfortunate case could be linked to an earlier outbreak of hepatitis A in the Salt Lake County area. The outbreak has been ongoing since its discovery in August 2017. Earlier this January, 118 cases of Hepatitis A were reported among the homeless population of Salt Lake City alone.

"This is an important reminder to food service establishments that they should consider vaccinating their food-handling employees against hepatitis A," Gary Edwards, executive director of the Salt Lake County Health Department, told CBS News. "It's also important that food handlers be conscientious with hygiene, hand washing and not working when ill — and that managers be vigilant in enforcing those important requirements that help protect public health."

Store visitors are being advised to call the health department's number, 385-468-INFO (4636), if they used the bathroom or consumed anything that wasn't packaged when it was bought at the location. Risky items include fresh fruit, self-serve beverages, and any item from the store's hot food case. The answering staff has been screening callers for their risk of exposure and providing those who need it with options for receiving a prophylactic hepatitis A vaccine.

The 7-Eleven, located at 2666 West 7800 South, is fully cooperative with the health department's investigation and has completely sanitized the affected store.

Hopefully, with these precautions in place the outbreak will dwindle before it rivals the severity of the worst hepatitis A outbreak in history.