WEST VILLAGE (WABC) -- Patrons of a West Village bar are being urged to get a hepatitis shot after a bartender was diagnosed with the illness.

The Health Department notified patrons of Socialista of the exposure Thursday. They are urged to get a hepatitis A vaccination as a precautionary measure.

Hepatitis A is spread by putting something in one's mouth that has been contaminated with traces of fecal matter from an infected person. Any patron who visited the establishment after 8 p.m. on February 7th or 8th, or after 10 p.m. on February 11th (the times the infected person worked after becoming infectious), is considered to be at risk and needs a preventive shot.

The bar owners, who are cooperating fully with the Health Department, estimate that about 700 to 800 people may have visited on these nights. No additional cases of illness have been identified.


People can visit their regular doctor to receive this shot. The Health Department will also offer free vaccinations at P.S. 41 elementary school at 116 West 11th Street (at 6th Avenue) in Manhattan to patrons at the following times:
Friday, February 22, 4 p.m. - 10 p.m.
Saturday, February 23, 1 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Sunday, February 24, 1 p.m. - 6 p.m.
People who were exposed but have already received two doses of Hepatitis A vaccine sometime in their life do not need another shot; all others should be vaccinated.
"We are asking these bar patrons to get this vaccination as a precautionary measure," said Dr. Sharon Balter, Medical Epidemiologist at the Health Department. "If people experience symptoms, they should see a doctor, but for most people bed rest and avoiding alcohol are all that is needed to recover. This incident serves as an important reminder to always wash hands thoroughly and regularly to prevent the spread of disease."

About Hepatitis

Hepatitis A is a liver disease caused by a virus. It is spread from person to person by putting something in the mouth (even though it might look clean) that has been contaminated with traces of fecal matter from an infected person. Most people recover within a few weeks with bed rest and by avoiding alcoholic beverages. There are no special medicines or antibiotics that can be used to treat a person once the symptoms appear.

Symptoms include jaundice (yellowing of eyes and skin), fatigue, abdominal pain, nausea, and diarrhea. While some people who have chronic liver disease or a weakened immune system could experience more severe illness and require hospitalization, hepatitis A is very rarely fatal (fewer than 1 percent of cases).

In order for the vaccine to be most effective, people who have been exposed to Hepatitis A should be vaccinated within 14 days. The earlier the vaccine is given, the more effective it is in preventing the disease. In general, the vaccine is 80 to 90 percent effective.

About the Investigation

The Health Department investigates all cases of Hepatitis A in New York City. Of the 120-150 cases confirmed annually by the Department, fewer than 10 occur in foodservice workers and the Health Department sends an inspector to the site to evaluate whether there is a risk to patrons.

The Department was notified of this case on February 19, began the investigation, and inspected the bar last night. The inspector found that there was no soap for hand-washing, increasing the risk to patrons and prompting the precautionary notification. The Health Department is identifying household and other contacts of this individual, a routine practice in Hepatitis A investigations.

For more information on Hepatitis A, please see the Health Department's fact sheet at NYC.gov.

(Copyright ©2008 WABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)

were we just talking about karma..................................................

I guess someone won't be bartending in New York City again.

Better move back to Indiana, big guy.

What I want to know is how is it possible to put something in your mouth that could have once had fecal matter on it?

We'll have to consult with Armin on this..... surely he would know the answer.

Eater PSA: Most Socialista Patrons Already Screwed
Friday, February 22, 2008

In the wake of the Socialista Hepatitis A scare, widely reported on the blogs and the evening news, we decided to educate ourselves on the disease with a phone call to an epidemiologist and a check of the CDC website. Turns out there are two major issues at play here: the bartender was contagious for 15-50 days before feeling sick, and the window one has for getting a shot after being exposed is two weeks.

Pause, deep breath. That means that if the bartender in question started feeling sick yesterday and went to the hospital, he was probably contagious from as early as the end of January into mid February. However, if he were feeling symptoms last week and didn't get tested until yesterday, he could have been contagious all last month.

On to point numero dos: the vaccine has only been proven to work for up to two weeks after the person is infected. That is why the Health Department is giving free shots to people who went to Socialista on the days of the 7th, 8th, and 11th. If anyone got infected before then, there's not much that can be done. And for you people who went on the 7th or 8th...better get your rear over the the doc's office today.
http://eater.com/archives/2008/02/hep_a_update.php#more

COULD BE DAT BARTENDER GOTS A SIDE JOB IN DA KITCHEN, TOSSIN' SALAD.

WORD.

LOL.

hahahahahahahahahaa aha ha haa aha ah uggghh eeeewwww

or maybe his side job in the kitchen is: smoking sausage ??



ha ha HA HA AAGH sorry couldn't resist !

On Radar yesterday:


By now you've probably heard about Pop Fiction, the new E! show in which totally crazy Hollywood prankster Ashton Kutcher enlists his famous friends to punk paparazzi and gullible media outlets. The show doesn't premiere until this Sunday, but we're starting to wonder whether we've already been made the fool.


Back in February, we bought into reports that a bartender at downtown Manhattan nightclub Socialista, where Kutcher was celebrating his 30th birthday party with the likes of Demi Moore, Madonna, and Bruce Willis, had a "raging" case of hepatitis-A, prompting the Health Department to offer up free vaccination shots to attendees. The story wasn't so outlandish as to raise flags at the time; now, in light of Pop Fiction producer Jason Goldberg's claim that "media outlets have been duped into reporting false stories about celebrities in recent months," we're not so sure.

An official at the city's Department of Health tells Radar that they did indeed visit Socialista after being called by the club to investigate the hep-A scare. "After arriving, we found that there was no soap behind the bar, which is why we decided to offer up hep-A vaccinations to all party-goers," the rep says. "I can assure you that someone did have hepatitis, and that he was working the bar the night of Kutcher's party. You can't fake hepatitis-A." True ... unless you're Ashton Fucking Kutcher.