JIM KINNEY , The Saratogian 08/20/2004
MALTA — A food-service worker at The Ripe Tomato on Route 9 in Malta has tested positive for hepatitis A, Saratoga County Public Health said Thursday.
Nurse Terry Stortz, the prevention team supervisor for Public Health, said the employee didn’t work while acutely ill but still could have passed on the virus on uncooked foods including garnishes like lemon slices, chives and scallions.
‘We’re erring on the side of being safe,’ she said. ‘There is no ongoing risk of infection,’
She said The Ripe Tomato, a popular restaurant where Route 9 intersects with 9P, is cooperating and has a history of satisfactory sanitary inspections.
Anyone who ate a garnish at The Ripe Tomato between 5:30 and 10 p.m. on Aug. 7, 9 and 10 should come to Saratoga County Public Health at 31 Woodlawn Ave., Saratoga Springs, for a shot of immune globulin.

The immunizations will be offered:
– 4 to 6 p.m. today
– 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday
– 1 to 3:30 p.m. Monday
To be effective, the shot must be administered no later than two weeks after exposure, Stortz said.
Customers who ate garnishes at the restaurant July 30 to Aug 4 also were exposed, Stortz said, but they are past the 14-day period where the immune globulin is effective. She said those people need to keep an eye out for signs of hepatitis A: fatigue, poor appetite, fever, vomiting, dark urine and jaundice. Jaundice is a yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes.
Ripe Tomato customers who notice these problems should contact their doctor.
Hepatitis A is a viral disease that affects the liver. Stortz said symptoms appear three to four weeks after exposure and most people recover after a few weeks with no complications.
‘Every individual is different,’ Stortz said. ‘If you are older and your immune system isn’t working properly, you might have a problem. Some children who get hepatitis A never get any symptoms and never know they had it.’
The state notified the county that the worker had tested positive Wednesday, according to the release. Stortz said the one-day delay happened because the state had to inspect the restaurant and both the state and county had to interview the worker.