The Maine CDC has confirmed that a case of Hepatitis A has been linked to an employee of the Mai Tai Restaurant in Presque Isle.

The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention has identified a case of acute hepatitis A viral infection in Presque Isle.

Close contacts at risk are currently being notified and that the only potential risk to the public at this time involves those who ate at the Mai Tai Restaurant, CDC officials stated in a Friday press release. The individual that has acquired hepatitis A served food and drinks at the restaurant while infectious on May 26 and June 2.

Maine CDC recommends that anyone who ate or worked at the Mai Tai Restaurant in Presque Isle between 11 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on June 2 receive the hepatitis A vaccine by Sunday, June 16, as there is a 14-day window during which prophylaxis is effective after exposure.

Anyone who visited the restaurant between 11 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on May 26 is outside the window for which prophylaxis is recommended but should watch for symptoms and seek medical attention if symptoms develop. Individuals with compromised immune systems or children under 12 months old who visited the restaurant during this time may benefit from hepatitis A immune globulin (IG), upon consultation with their health care providers.

Northern Light A.R. Gould Hospital will be offering shots Saturday, June 15, until 8 p.m. and Sunday, June 16, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Walk-In Care on North Street in Presque Isle. The hospital will continue to provide vaccines at the North Street Walk-In Clinic from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily until all of those who may have been exposed are treated.

Health care providers are encouraged to remain vigilant for hepatitis A infection in persons with consistent symptoms.

Hepatitis A is a vaccine-preventable, contagious liver disease caused by the hepatitis A virus. Symptoms range from mild illness to a severe sickness that requires hospitalization and can last several months.

Most adults with hepatitis A have a sudden onset of symptoms such as tiredness, low appetite, stomach pain, nausea, dark urine and jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes). The majority of children younger than 6 do not have symptoms or have an unrecognized infection. The best way to prevent hepatitis A infection is to get vaccinated.