Sarah Palermo of the Concord Monitor reported that New Hampshire State health officials vaccinated more than 1,100 people against the hepatitis A virus last weekend after a bartender in Contoocook was diagnosed with the contagious disease.

Vaccines are most effective against the virus if given quickly after exposure; people who visited the Contoocook Covered Bridge Restaurant and the American Legion toward the end of the potential exposure time frame – July 20 to Aug. 3 – could still benefit from receiving a vaccine and can get one at their doctor’s office or by contacting the state, said Chris Adamski, director of the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services’ Bureau of Infectious Diseases.

Officials originally estimated between 600 and 1,000 people were potentially exposed. No other cases of the disease have been reported, Adamski said yesterday.

Hepatitis A symptoms often appear within 15 days of infection but can sometimes take several weeks to begin. They include fatigue, fever, nausea, vomiting, dark or discolored urine and gray-colored stool.  There is no treatment or cure beyond managing symptoms through rest and hydration. Symptoms usually last less than two months, and in many cases improve after two weeks

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.