Five people have fallen ill with Hepatitis A since either eating or working at "New Hawaii Sea" restaurant in the Bronx, New York.
According to DNAinfo, the Department of Health is urging anyone who ate at the restaurant between Sept. 7 to Sept. 19 to get a Hepatitis A vaccination. So far, more than 400 shots have been administered and hundreds more are waiting, organizers said.
The Medical Reserve Crops, a national network of health workers, were brought in to help cope with the demand following Friday's announcement that four patrons and one worker fell ill with the liver disease, according to the Department of Health.
The eatery, on 1475 Williamsbridge Road, has been shut down and won't re-open until all the workers have been vaccinated, Dr. Thomas Farley, the city's health commissioner announced Friday. The city is also urging everyone who has eaten at the restaurant to also get vaccinated.
The restaurant is known for its Chinese and Japanese fare in both sit-down and take-out formats.
"After two weeks' time the vaccine isn't effective, so if you were there before, the vaccine isn't going to help you," said Sam Miller, a spokesperson for the Department of Health. "Anyone experiencing symptoms that ate there before [then] should go to their doctor immediately."
Hepatitis A can cause jaundice, fatigue, abdominal pains, nausea and diarrhea within months of exposured to the virus. If a victim is vaccinated within 14 days of consuming the particles, an infection may be prevented, the Department said.
Dawn Marie D'Emidio waited on line for two hours Saturday and said she ate at the restaurant immediately before the city shut it down, according to DNAinfo.
"I asked the bartender why they were closing, and he told me the Department of Health had said there was an outbreak, and I was so shocked," D'Emidio said. "I said, 'You let me eat in here and you knew?'"
D'Emidio suffered sickness and vomiting in the hours following her meal. She said she thought it was food poisoning rather than Hepatitis A and said she would not return to the eatery.
"I don't think I'll be back. I've been going since I was a little girl," she said. "Food poisoning is one thing, but something that can kill you, I don't think so."
