Ironically, May is Hepatitis Awareness Month and May 19 is Hepatitis Testing Day.

That is coming a bit late for some patrons at the High Hampton Inn restaurant in Cashiers, North Carolina.  Public health officials are investigating a report of an isolated case of Hepatitis A in an employee at the High Hampton Inn restaurant in Cashiers, North Carolina.

As a precautionary measure, the Jackson County Department of Public Health is asking any people who ate at the High Hampton Inn restaurant from April 26-29 or May 1, 2013 to contact the health department for information on how to avoid illness in the event of exposure.

We have been retained by two of those people.

Hepatitis A is a liver disease caused by the Hepatitis A virus. It is usually spread by eating or drinking items that have been contaminated with the virus or by close personal contact with an infected person. Symptoms appear 2–7 weeks after exposure and commonly include fever, a feeling of being unwell, loss of appetite, diarrhea, nausea and abdominal discomfort; urine may become darker in color and jaundice (a yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes) may appear. Some individuals, especially children, may not develop jaundice, and may have an illness so mild that it can go unnoticed. However, even mildly ill persons can still be highly infectious.

Illness may be avoided if hepatitis vaccine or another protective medicine is given within 14 days of exposure or if an exposed individual has previously had a hepatitis A infection or vaccine. There is no specific treatment for the disease; however, most people recover without complications after several weeks. People who have pre-existing liver problems can become extremely ill if they contract hepatitis A.

Hepatitis A:  Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm, is the nation’s leading law firm representing victims of Hepatitis A outbreaks. The Hepatitis A lawyers of Marler Clark have represented thousands of victims of Hepatitis A and other foodborne illness outbreaks and have recovered over $600 million for clients.  Marler Clark is the only law firm in the nation with a practice focused exclusively on foodborne illness litigation.  Our Hepatitis A lawyers have litigated Hepatitis A cases stemming from outbreaks traced to a variety of sources, such as green onions, lettuce and restaurant food.  The law firm has brought Hepatitis A lawsuits against such companies as Subway, McDonald’s, Chipotle, Quiznos, Chi-Chi’s and Carl’s Jr.

If you or a family member became ill with a Hepatitis A infection after consuming food and you’re interested in pursuing a legal claim, contact the Marler Clark Hepatitis A attorneys for a free case evaluation.