New Hepatitis A Warning in Salt Lake City

A 7-Eleven convenience store in West Jordan, UT may have exposed its customers to the hepatitis A virus, reports the Salt Lake County Health Department (SLCoHD).

The possible hepatitis A exposure to 7-Eleven customers occurred between December 26, through January 3, 2018, when an infected employee worked while ill.

Health officials estimate up to 2,000 customers may be affected.

7-Eleven customers who are fully vaccinated, which means two doses, against hepatitis A do not need to contact the health department.

Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is recommended for unvaccinated people who have been exposed to the hepatitis A virus in the last 2 weeks.

PEP consists of:

• Hepatitis A vaccine for people aged 1-40 years
• Hepatitis A virus-specific immunoglobulin for people outside of this age range. If immunoglobulin is not available, hepatitis A vaccine can be substituted.

Protection begins two to four weeks after the first injection.

A second injection results in long-term protection. Antibodies produced after the vaccine is given are stored in the body and will fight off the infection if a person is exposed in the future.

SLCoHD believes this hepatitis A case is linked to the ongoing outbreak Salt Lake County has been experiencing. Since May 2017, eighty-seven hepatitis A cases can be traced to an outbreak in Utah.

​Since January 1, 2017, Utah public health has identified 152 confirmed cases of hepatitis A virus infection; many among persons who are homeless and/or using illicit drugs.  

Salt Lake City averages 4 hepatitis A case annually.

“This is an important reminder to food service establishments that they should consider vaccinating their food-handling employees against hepatitis A,” said Gary Edwards, SLCoHD executive director.

"We … found the first hepatitis A case in early May and knew it was associated with the national outbreak at the time," Edwards said.

Hepatitis A vaccine is covered by most insurance plans and is widely available at local pharmacies, health care providers, and SLCoHD immunization clinics.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says the best protection against the virus is the hepatitis A vaccination. There are three FDA approved hepatitis A vaccines:

• Vaqta and Havrix are approved for people ≥12 months of age in a 2-dose series
• A combined hepatitis A and hepatitis B Twinrix vaccine is approved for people ≥18 years of age in the United States

The CDC Vaccine Price List provides current HAV vaccine contract prices and general information.

Vaccine discounts can be found here.

Vaccines, like any medicine, can generate side effects, says the CDC. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of vaccines to the FDA and the CDC.

Customers who used the West Jordan, UT 7-Eleven store restroom or consumed any perishable items, should call 385-468-INFO (4636) for further instructions.