Restaurant scare puts diners on hepatitis alert

By PAUL YANDALL

Hundreds of Aucklanders may have been exposed to hepatitis A after a staff member at a Mission Bay restaurant contracted the disease.

Almost 350 diners who ate at Bluefins Restaurant and Bar on six nights in the past three weeks are being sought by the Auckland Public Health Office.

It wants patrons to seek immunisation advice after a worker at the restaurant was diagnosed with the disease last week.

Director-General of Health Karen Poutasi said the patrons at risk were those who dined at Bluefins between January 7 and 10, as well as January 15 and 16.

Customers on the 15th or 16th would still be able to prevent the disease from taking hold if they had an injection of immune globulin before Wednesday, she said.

It was too late for the injection to have any effect on earlier patrons, but they should still contact the public health unit.

The hepatitis A virus can cause liver disease and is transmitted between people by faecal-oral contamination. Symptoms include fever, nausea, jaundice, abdominal pains and anorexia.

Dr Poutasi said the infected worker was in the 28 to 30-day incubation period while handling food. The person was not at present working there and Dr Poutasi said there was "no ongoing risk of hepatitis A associated with eating at the restaurant".

Bluefins co-owner Keith Winders said he was distraught at the health scare.

"I've asked again and again what we could have done to prevent this but the answer I keep getting is 'nothing'. It's really bad luck ... we're just hoping our reputation and quality will see us through."

The number for the Public Health Office is (09) 262-1855.