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250 Receive Treatment After New Westchester Hepatitis Exposure

Some 250 people received treatment for possible exposure to Hepatitis A over the weekend in connection with the Sleepy Hollow Country Club in Briarcliff Manor, according to the Westchester County Health Department.

The Sleepy Hollow Country Club

The Sleepy Hollow Country Club

Photo Credit: Wikimedia

The exposure is connected to an earlier exposure at bartaco restaurant in Port Chester which infected five people and caused more than 3,000 people to seek treatment.

Health department officials said an employee of the club was infected by one of the five people who was exposed to the disease at bartaco.

The employee worked in the club's Grill Room while infectious, officials said.

The health department is recommending that anyone who ate or drank at the club between Oct. 27 and Nov. 4 receive treatment against the disease.

The country club has fully cooperated with the investigation and voluntarily closed its kitchens today to sanitize them, said officials with the health department.

 The restaurant is also voluntarily vaccinating all employees with the Hepatitis A vaccine.

“We value the health and protection of everyone who enjoys Sleepy Hollow”, said Eric Rule, the club’s general manager. “We ask for everyone’s patience while we scrub the club from top to bottom to ensure a safe place for our members and their guests to dine. This is a difficult situation, but we have taken steps above and beyond the health department guidelines."

To help make sure that all who ate or drank at athe club have a chance to receive a vaccination, the department has scheduled additional clinics at 134 Court St., on the following dates and times:

  • Monday, Nov. 13, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (For those who dined Oct. 30 - Nov. 4)
  • Tuesday, Nov. 14, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (For those who dined Oct. 31 - Nov. 4)
  • Wednesday, Nov. 15, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. (For those who dined Nov. 1 - Nov. 4)
  • Thursday, Nov. 16, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. (For those who dined Nov. 2 - Nov. 4)
  • Friday, Nov. 17, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (For those who dined Nov. 3 - Nov. 4)

Anyone under 18 years of age must be accompanied by a parent/guardian to provide consent. Anyone with a prior history of Hepatitis A vaccination or Hepatitis A infection does not need to be treated. The health department will offer Hepatitis A vaccine to most people. Infants under one year of age and people with immune-compromising conditions will be given immune globulin.

To speed the process, register in advance, wear short sleeves and have your registration number handy when it is your turn. To register, go to www.health.ny.gov/gotoclinic/60. If you do not have internet access or need more information, call 211 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Country club patrons with exposure also can be treated by their own health care provider.

“Hepatitis A is generally a mild illness whose symptoms include fatigue, fever, poor appetite, abdominal pain, diarrhea, dark urine, light-colored stool, and jaundice, which is the yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes” said Dr. Sherlita Amler, Commissioner of Health. “There are no special medications used to treat a person once symptoms appear, but Hepatitis A transmission to others can be prevented through proper handwashing.”

Not everyone infected with Hepatitis A will have all of its symptoms. Symptoms commonly appear within 28 days of exposure, with a range of 15 to 50 days. Preventive treatment is only effective within two weeks of exposure to the virus, but symptoms typically do not appear until a person has had the virus for a few weeks. The illness is rarely fatal and most people recover in a few weeks without any complications.

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