Vancouver Coastal Health is warning of a possible hepatitis a exposure at a Gibsons coffee shop for almost the entirety of August.
An information bulletin Thursday (Aug. 28) notified people who dined at Sea Monkey Coffee, located on site at Sunday Cider (1632 Sunshine Coast Hwy.), about a possible hepatitis A exposure from Aug. 1 to 25.
The bulletin adds the notification is only for people who dined at Sea Monkey Coffee, not for customers of any other business at the address, including Sunday Cider. People who consumed only drinks are also not at risk.
Vancouver Coastal says that although the risk of transmission to the public is low, it's advising anyone who consumed food from the Sea Monkey Coffee food truck to monitor themselves for symptoms.
Symptoms can take two to seven weeks to develop after exposure and last for about two months. The health authority adds that in most cases the infection goes away on its own and doesn't lead to long-term liver problems, but it can be more serious in rare cases.
Symptoms of hepatitis A include:
鈥� Feeling very tired
鈥� Feeling sick to your stomach and not feeling hungry
鈥� Losing weight without trying
鈥� Pain on the right side of the belly, under the rib cage (where your liver is)
鈥� Fever
鈥� Sore muscles
鈥� Yellow skin and eyes (jaundice), dark urine, and clay-coloured stools
The health authority recommends getting immunized with one dose of the hepatitis A vaccine, which can help prevent an infection if given within two weeks of exposure. Anyone who dined at Sea Monkey from Aug. 14 to 25 should get the vaccine as soon as possible, the bulletin says.
Free doses are available for those who are eligible at clinics and pharmacies throughout the Vancouver Coastal Health region.