BECKLEY, W.Va. — The Beckley-Raleigh County Health Department began offering free Hepatitis A vaccines on Saturday after a case of the disease was confirmed to be present in a food service worker at Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen in Beckley.
County health officials made the announcement Friday afternoon, and encouraged customers who ate at the restaurant between October 20th and October 31st to get vaccinated. No cases resulting from exposure while visiting Cheddar’s have been reported, and a health department spokesperson said testing for the disease generally is not considered necessary unless a person is exhibiting symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, or joint pain. The risk of contracting the disease through consumption of food at the restaurant was considered to be low.
Free vaccines will be available at the Beckley-Raleigh County Health Department through Wednesday.