Health Warning Issued After Hepatitis Scare At Brampton Tim Hortons

Peel Health has put out an alert after an employee at a Tim Hortons restaurant tested positive for Hepatitis A. The worker was in the outlet, located at 2 Intermodal Drive in Brampton, from July 8th-21.

And if you were there as well there’s a slight chance you may have been exposed.

The spread of Hepatitis A is rare and it’s more than likely customers weren’t affected. But it’s contagious and is generally spread by contact with someone who has it. So health officials aren’t taking any chances that someone might have accidentally contracted the ailment during a stop at the coffee shop.

“The risk of transmission in this case is low,” advises Peel Associate Medical Officer of Health Dr. Eileen De Villa in a statement. “At this point in time, we are not recommending vaccination of customers who might have been exposed.

“However, as a precaution, we are advising customers who visited this Tim Hortons location between July 8 and 21 to monitor themselves for signs and symptoms of Hepatitis A.”

Those include: 

• Fever,
• Loss of appetite,
• Upset stomach,
• Abdominal discomfort,
• Dark coloured urine,
• Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes).

In some cases, you won’t even get sick, but jaundice is a definite sign you’ve been exposed. Symptoms can take up to 28 days to appear, so some people who could have it may not have any signs yet.

The good news is the disease doesn’t pose a long-term infection risk and an effective vaccine that provides protection for up to 20 years is available to fight it – and it’s free.

It’s not the first time a store and the ailment have both come into the public consciousness. Some customers launched a class action lawsuit against Loblaws in 2002 when a worker at a popular Toronto branch was diagnosed with the same bug.

Some 17,000 people later lined up to get shots and the clinics were open for weeks.

Officials stress there was no other contamination found at the restaurant and that Tim Hortons personnel are cooperating fully in the investigation.

• It took more than four years, but the Ontario Superior Court finally approved a settlement in June of this year for the Loblaws case. Those who register and can prove they’re eligible will receive $150 for their trouble. To find out how to make a claim before the deadline of October 31, 2006, click here.