OCALA, Fla. — An employee at Charlie Horse Restaurant and Lounge in Ocala tested positive for hepatitis A, Marion County health officials said.
The restaurant owner said: "This past Thursday, one of our employees came in, and he worked a few hours. And then he said he was having problems, his stomach ached. So, we sent him home."
The next day, the employee was diagnosed with hepatitis A, the restaurant owner said.
Health officials are urging anyone who ate or drank at the restaurant from July 18 to July 23 to watch out for the signs and symptoms of hepatitis A.
The symptoms include stomach pain, nausea and vomiting, yellow skin or eyes, diarrhea and a loss of appetite.
People who are most at risk are the homeless, drug users and men who have sex with men.
Last week, the surgeon general issued a public health emergency because of the statewide hepatitis A outbreak.
Officials said Marion County ranked sixth in the state for number of cases.
"Since Jan. 1 this year, we've had 111 cases," a health official said.
Guy Iannone, the restaurant owner, said he's taken precautions to make sure no one else gets sick.
"This place has been sanitized. We use bleach on a regular basis. There's no hep A here," he said.
Iannone said 90% of his employees have been vaccinated so no one else gets sick.
The Health Department said there's a very small chance you can get hepatitis A through food cooked by someone with the disease.
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