Food handler at Deptford Olive Garden test positive for Hepatitis A: officials

DEPTFORD, N.J. - Health officials in Gloucester County say a food handler at a Deptford Olive Garden recently tested positive for Hepatitis A. 

The employee last worked at the Italian food chain on Almonesson Road between Dec. 26 and Dec. 31, health officials said.

Hepatitis A is described as a viral illness that's symptoms include abdominal pain, nausea, tiredness, and jaundice.

Health officials say people who previously received the Hepatitis A vaccine are not at risk of becoming violently ill, and unvaccinated people also remain at low risk.

Vaccines have been made available by the health department for unvaccinated Olive Garden employees who may have been exposed to Hepatitis A.

Officials said the Olive Garden was given a "Satisfactory" rating during a health inspection last March, and passed a re-inspection on Wednesday.

In a statement to FOX 29, Olive Garden said:

"The ill front-of-house team member last worked 10 days before they were diagnosed and will not be permitted to return to work until being officially released by a doctor.

While Hepatitis A is not easily transmitted from one person to another, we’ve been working closely with the health department to ensure we have all of the right processes in place to protect our team members and our guests. We are not aware of any other team members or guests becoming ill.

We place the highest priority on having the cleanest and safest restaurants in the restaurant industry. Across the country, many local health departments point to our standards as a model for other companies to follow."