Health officials in Israel are issuing a warning for patrons of the Eyal Hotel in downtown Jerusalem after an employee was diagnosed with hepatitis A, according to a Yeshiva World report today. The employee was a cook with the hotel on Shamai Street.

Image/CIA
Image/CIA

Health officials are asking guests who ate breakfast in the hotel between the 18th and 23rd of May to report to their family physician if they were not vaccinated in the past. The warning states the vaccine can still be helpful at this time and it is advised to act as quickly as possible in the matter.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Hepatitis A is a contagious liver disease that results from infection with the Hepatitis A virus. It can range in severity from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a severe illness lasting several months.

Hepatitis A is usually spread when a person ingests fecal matter, even in microscopic amounts, from contact with objects, food, or drinks contaminated by feces or stool from an infected person.

Not everyone has symptoms. If symptoms develop, they usually appear 2 to 6 weeks after becoming infected and can include fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dark urine and jaundice.

There is no specific treatment once symptoms appear, but a vaccination can help lessen the effects of the disease if given within 14 days of exposure.

The best way to control the spread of hepatitis A and many other illnesses is through proper hand washing, especially after using the restroom, changing diapers, and before eating or preparing food. Hand washing should include 20 seconds of vigorous soaping of all parts of the hands, especially between fingers and under fingernails. For more infectious disease news and information, visit and “like” the Infectious Disease News Facebook page