Hawaii health officials have added the Hawaii Kai Costco bakery as a “place of interest” after an bakery employee, who may have inappropriately handled food, tested positive for the viral infection, hepatitis A.

Hepatitis A Image/CDC
Hepatitis A Image/CDC

Members of the warehouse who purchased bakery goods from June 16-20, 2016, some 2,700 customers, are being contacted.

The Hawaii Department of Health (HDOH) says that Costco, like Taco Bell and Baskin-Robbins before that, is not the source of the outbreak; at this time, no infections have been linked to exposure to these businesses.

In addition, health officials reiterate that the likelihood that patrons of these businesses will become infected is very low.

To date, the hepatitis A outbreak in Oahu, Hawaii has affected 93 people and the source of the outbreak continues to be elusive as the investigation is ongoing.

Hepatitis A is a contagious liver infection caused by the hepatitis A virus (HAV).  The disease can range from a mild illness lasting 1 or 2 weeks to a severe illness lasting for several months.  HAV is found in the stool of people with hepatitis A infection and is usually spread by eating contaminated food or drinking water and can be spread through close personal/sexual contact.  A person who has hepatitis A can easily pass the disease to others within the same household.

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