County Health Dept. Vaccinates Nearly 3,000 for Hepatitis A
The Westchester County Department of Health provided preventive treatment to nearly 3,000 people for Hepatitis A since Thursday in connection with five cases of the illness traced to the bartaco restaurant in Port Chester. Over 1,200 people were vaccinated on Saturday, and another 60 people were registered to be vaccinated Monday.
At a briefing Monday, it was announced that vaccinations will be available for free at the Department of Health Clinic in White Plains, 134 Court Street, on weekdays through Nov. 6. Vaccinations are available by appointment.
The Health Department also vaccinated about 900 people on Thursday and 800 on Friday. The preventive treatment is for people who may have been exposed to the disease when they ate or drank at bartaco, a restaurant in Port Chester from Oct. 12 through Oct. 23. Monday was the last day to vaccinate people who ate or drank at Bartaco on Oct. 16, because preventive treatment is only effective if given within 14 days of exposure.
The County Executive also addressed the two confirmed cases of Legionnaires’ disease at the Sky View Rehabilitation Center in Croton-on-Hudson, and said the county is working with the New York State Department of Health, which is in charge of the investigation, in monitoring the situation. The nursing home has hired a consultant that is experienced in the remediation and control of legionella, bacteria that is common in water and does not cause illness for most people.
The Health Department will offer Hepatitis A vaccinations at its White Plains clinic, Tuesday, Oct. 31 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (for those who dined Oct. 17 – 23); Wednesday, Nov. 1 from 9 to 11 a.m. (for those who dined Oct. 18 – 23); Thursday, Nov. 2 from 9 to 11 a.m. (for those who dined Oct.19 – 23); Friday, Nov. 3 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (for those who dined Oct. 20 – 23); and Monday, Nov. 6 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (for those who dined on Oct. 23).
To speed the process, register in advance and have your registration number handy when it is your turn. To register, go to www.health.ny.gov/go2clinic/60.
If you do not have Internet access, call 211 or 1-800-899-1479 to register, from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Bartaco customers also can call the company at 1-844-617-8242 to be directed to additional clinics in Connecticut.
Anyone with a prior history of Hepatitis A vaccination or Hepatitis A infection does not need to be treated and should not register.
The Health Department learned on Oct. 25 that an employee with Hepatitis A, a viral illness that affects the liver, worked at the restaurant while infectious. To date, four patrons also have been diagnosed with Hepatitis A. The Health Department immediately began investigating the source of the infection upon learning of the cases.
