On May 30, 2018, the county health department confirmed hepatitis A in a food service worker at the Cold Spot on Washington Street West in Charleston. The worker’s infectious period ran from May 12 to May 26.
Family members and coworkers got the hepatitis A vaccine as a precaution. The environmental health director found no unsafe food handling at the restaurant, so the department did not advise customers to get the vaccine. Officials said food workers rarely spread the virus when they wash their hands and wear gloves.
By then, eight food businesses in Kanawha and Putnam counties had a worker with a confirmed case, and Cabell County had one more. The state counted 106 confirmed, probable and suspected cases in eight counties as of May 18. The state’s first hepatitis A death, a 33-year-old Kanawha County resident, had been confirmed the week before.
Free vaccine clinics for food service workers ran from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on May 30 at the Charleston Civic Center and on June 1 at the St. George Conference Center, Court and Lee streets. Another June 1 clinic was held at Forrest Burdette Memorial United Methodist Church, 2848 Putnam Avenue, Hurricane.