The state Department of Health says customers of a northeast Arkansas pizza restaurant may have been exposed to hepatitis A in recent weeks.
Patrons of the Little Caesars Pizza in Paragould, 1731 W. Kingshighway, between July 19 and Thursday are advised to check their vaccination status after an employee tested positive for the contagious liver disease, according to a statement Tuesday.
Health Department spokeswoman Meg Mirivel said anyone who has never had the hepatitis A shot is advised to get vaccinated. Treatment works best if given within two weeks of exposure.
Eighty cases of hepatitis A, including one that resulted in a death, have been reported in northeast Arkansas since the start of an outbreak in February. All of the positive diagnoses have been in adults.
The bulk of the cases have been recorded in Greene County. The Health Department said county residents between the ages of 19 and 60 should get vaccinated regardless of whether they visited the Little Caesars location.
Other cases have been reported in Clay, Craighead, Independence, Lawrence, Mississippi and Randolph counties.