Free ‘Hepatitis A’ Vaccine Today in Niagara Falls
After it was established that an employee at the Taco Bell, 7300 Niagara Falls Blvd, tested positive for Hepatitis A, according to news reports, the Niagara County Health Department is offering free Hepatitis A vaccinations today and tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Doris Jones Family Resource Center, 3001 Ninth St., Niagara Falls.
Anyone who ate at the Taco Bell,7300 Niagara Falls Blvd, between November 21 and December 1 is urged to get your free Hepatitis A vaccine from the Department of Health today or tomorrow. Hepatitis A can be fatal if not treated.
News reports quoted Daniel J. Stapleton, Niagara County public health director, as saying this;
"The person worked not only in the food preparation area but also in the drive-thru lane. As soon as we heard he was a food handler, we kicked it into high gear."
If you ate at the Taco Bell at 7300 Niagara Falls Blvd between November 13-20, the vaccine will not help you, according to news reports, but you should monitor yourself and if you develop any of the following symptoms you should contact your doctor immediately:
- Fever
- Fatigue
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Abdominal pain
- Dark urine
- Clay-colored stools
- Joint pain
- Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes)
According to news reports, Taco Bell's media relations department released this statement:
"When our franchisee of this Niagara Falls, N.Y., restaurant learned that one of the team members was diagnosed, they immediately started working in lockstep with Taco Bell and health officials to protect the health of employees and customers. The restaurant was thoroughly sanitized and all team members will be offered vaccinations."
The Health Department issued this statement according to the reports, regarding this incident at Taco Bell at 7300 Niagara Falls Blvd
"Hepatitis A usually spreads when a person unknowingly ingests the virus from objects, food, or drinks contaminated by small, undetected amounts of stool from an infected person. This can happen from eating at a restaurant, sharing food or drink, or eating when traveling in one of the many countries outside the United States with a high hepatitis A infection rate".