Exterior of Tropical Smoothie Cafe, Gainesville. (Stacy Shaw)An employee at the Gainesville Tropical Smoothie Café has been diagnosed with hepatitis A, following warnings about the connection between Tropical Smoothie Cafés in Virginia and the virus.
NBC4 News, Washington reported Friday evening that one employee at the Tropical Smoothie Café located at the Shops at Stonewall on Route 29 in Gainesville was diagnosed with hepatitis A.
Hepatitis A has has been linked to frozen strawberries from Egypt that was served at Tropical Smoothie Café locations in Virginia.
Health officials are now warning that anyone who consumed anything from the Gainesville store between July 28 and Aug. 18 may have become exposed.
Prince William Health District posted a message about the possible exposure from Tropical Smoothie Café on its Facebook page.
That post recommends that individuals susceptible to hepatitis A who ate or drank anything from Tropical Smoothie Café in Gainesville from Aug. 12-18 should receive a vaccine or immune globin to prevent hepatitis A, and that residents who believe they may have been exposed should contact their health providers or call the Prince William Health District information line at 703-792-6345.
Those who already have had hepatitis A, or who received the vaccine are not at risk.
The agency notes that the vaccine is available at various urgent care clinics and pharmacies in the county and at the Prince William Health District.
Symptoms of hepatitis A include jaundice (the yellowing of skin or eyes), fever, fatigue, nausea and abdominal pain. Symptoms can last 15-50 days. Hepatitis A can be worse in the younger or older people.
Get more information about hepatitis A here.
The Virginia Department of Health is reporting there have been 35 reported cases of hepatitis A linked to a Tropical Smoothie Café in Virginia to date. Of those, 55 percent of patients had to be hospitalized. The illnesses range over a time period from May until mid-August.
During the television interview with NBC4, Gainesville Tropical Smoothie Café owner Dennis Drake assured customers the contamination has nothing to do with the way they handle food at their Gainesville store, and that they will do their best to provide safe, good food to their customers.
Owner Nicole Drake posted a message to customers on their Tropical Smoothie Café Gainesville Facebook page, Aug. 23, which included this statement:
Not only are my husband and I owners of this café, we are also patrons to ours and other cafes in the Virginia area (as are our children.)….We relate to the concern you feel and we deeply regret this has happened and have kept everyone in our prayers…. We pride ourselves on serving the best products and providing the best customer service consistently and food safety is a top priority in all that we do. Our food safety standards meet or exceed local state and federal requirements, our crew is trained on food handling and safety procedures...We receive great reviews and feedback from our health inspections, one as recent as August 18, so it hurts our heart that a fear has developed within our valued customers regarding these concerns. We appreciate your patience as we, corporate-wide, continue to work with the Virginia Department of Health and the Food and Drug Administration as they continue to investigate this issue and we thank the patrons that have continued to come and support us.
Tropical Smoothie Café's CEO Mike Rotondo delivered a similar message, noting the issue was a result of one item that they had sourced to their stores, that he feels for those affected, and that Tropical Smoothie Café remains dedicated to providing quality food and service.
The Gainesville Tropical Smoothie Café remains open.
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