CALGARY – Alberta Health Services is warning anyone who ate or drank at the Powderkeg Lounge in Lake Louise between Nov. 6 and Nov. 8 that they may have been exposed to Hepatitis A.
A person working at the lounge tested positive for the virus and is believed to have been infectious during that time. The sick employee was a server who had recently been travelling outside of Canada, said Lake Louise Ski Resort director of communications Dan Markham.
“While we believe the risk to the public is low, Hepatitis A is a serious infection,” said Dr. Judy MacDonald with AHS. “A vaccine administered within 14 days of exposure can greatly reduce the risk for patrons who consumed food or hot beverages at this location during this time frame.”
Officials don’t know how many people may have been exposed but MacDonald said several thousand people visited the ski resort on the weekend of Nov. 6 to 8.
“We just don’t know how many of them went to the Powderkeg Lounge during that time.”
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Markham said Friday all materials were isolated to the Powderkeg Lounge, and a cleaning “overhaul” involved throwing out cutlery. He said no one else has been sick.
Markham said it’s the first such incident for the resort he’s aware of and that the lounge is taking it very seriously with full cooperation with AHS.
The server had been cleared to return to work as of late Friday afternoon.
Hepatitis A drop-in vaccination clinics are being offered for anyone who visited the business at the following Calgary and Banff locations Friday and Saturday:
| Brentwood Village Mall, Calgary | Nov. 20 Nov. 21 | 11 a.m. to 6:45 p.m. 9:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. | 3630 Brentwood Road N.W., Calgary |
| Banff Public Health Office, Banff | Nov. 20 Nov. 21 | 11 a.m. to 6:45 p.m. 9:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. | 303 Lynx Street, Banff |
AHS said anyone from outside the Calgary zone should contact their local public health office to make arrangements to receive the vaccine.
If you’ve had a Hepatitis A infection in the past or have already received two doses of the Hepatitis A vaccine, you’re not at risk of infection.
For those that are, illness typically occurs 28 to 30 days after exposure but is possible within a 15- to 50-day time frame.
Hepatitis A symptoms include:
- Tiredness;
- Poor appetite;
- Nausea and vomiting;
- Abdominal pain and fever;
- Dark-coloured urine;
- Light-coloured stools;
- Yellowing of eyes and skin.
AHS said some people, especially young children, may carry the virus without noticing any symptoms. They still need to get the vaccine, however, because they can be infectious to others.
WATCH: Dealing with hepatitis A
Hepatitis A is a serious viral infection of the liver common in many parts of the developing world. According to the Canadian Liver Foundation, it is contracted most often by eating contaminated food and water. The virus is found in feces of infected people.
With files from Heather Yourex-West and Jayme Doll
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