Livestock centre cafe worker diagnosed with Hepatitis A

Visitors who ate at Carmarthen Livestock Centre Cafe during the first two weeks of June are being urged to check if they are displaying signs of Hepatitis A.

Health authorities triggered the alert after a worker at the cafe was diagnosed with the disease, which has links to an outbreak in the Caerphilly area.

The member of staff was working at Carmarthen Livestock Centre Cafe, near Carmarthen, on 1-2 and 8-9 June.

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Because the infection can be transmitted through food, people who ate at the cafe on those dates are being advised to see their GP of they are displaying symptoms of Hepatitis A.

Hepatitis A is a viral infection, usually short lived, which has unpleasant symptoms but is rarely serious. Children often only have a very mild illness.

Symptoms of Hepatitis A can include flu-like illness such as tiredness, general aches and pains, headaches and fever, as well as loss of appetite, nausea or vomiting, abdominal pains, jaundice, very dark urine and itchy skin. 

The latest case brings the total of confirmed cases to 15 and one further suspected case is being investigated.

Case linked to Caerphilly outbreak

All cases have links that can be traced back to Ysgol Glyn Gaer in Caerphilly, where the first patients were identified in April.

Carmarthen Livestock Centre Cafe has co-operated fully with the investigation and is known not to be the source of either the wider outbreak or the illness in the member of staff.

Heather Lewis, a consultant in health protection for Public Health Wales, said: “We are aware that Hepatitis A can be spread via food products so customers may have been, exposed to the infection at the Carmarthen Livestock Centre Cafe, near Carmarthen, earlier this month.

“Vaccine would not prevent infection at this stage after exposure so customers cannot be offered vaccination to prevent infection. Although the infection is usually mild, if people develop symptoms that may be Hepatitis A they should see their GP.”

Hepatitis A vaccination is not routinely offered on the NHS as the infection is rare in the UK, with only 12 reported cases in Wales in 2015.

• Anyone who ate at Carmarthen Livestock Centre Cafe during the aforementioned dates and who has symptoms of Hepatitis A infection is urged to contact their own GP or NHS Direct Wales on 0845 46 47.