Toronto Public Health Issues Warning: Restaurant Food Handler Had Hepatitis A

First it was rats, now it's hepatitis A. Toronto health officials are warning Torontonians about the Sushi Haru restaurant -- anyone who ate at there on Sept. 30, Oct. 1-3 or Oct. 6-10, may have been exposed to the Hepatitis A virus. Digital Journal -- Toronto Public Health say a food handler at Sushi Haru (635 College Street at Grace Street in Toronto) has Hepatitis A, and if you ate there you might have been exposed to it. Officials say the risk of getting the infection is actually low, but anyone who at at the restaurant should look for signs of Hep A, including fever, loss of appetite, tiredness, nausea/vomiting, dark urine and yellowing of the skin (jaundice). Officials say symptoms can develop up to eight weeks after exposure to contaminated food. Health officials say people who ate at the restaurant on Sept. 30, Oct. 1-3 or Oct. 6-10 may have been exposed. They also say today (Oct. 24) is the last day you can be vaccinated if you ate at Sushi Haru on Oct. 10, either by your own doctor, at a walk-in clicnic or a special clinic at the Pierre Elliott Trudeau School at 65 Grace Street (south west corner of College and Grace Street). The Hep A scare is bad timing for restaurateurs in Chinatown district of downtown Toronto. Earlier in October, rats were filmed inside the Happy Seven Restaurant on Spadina, right beside the "passed" health inspection notice: "Hepatitis A is a disease of the liver caused by a virus, and can be spread from person to person," Toronto Public Health officials describe in a news release. "If someone with Hepatitis A infection handles food without properly washing their hands after using the toilet, the infection can be spread to others who eat food contaminated with the virus. Hepatitis A is not spread by coughing or sneezing. Most people who are infected recover completely with no permanent liver damage."