LITTLE ROCK, AR (News release) – The Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) is warning of a possible Hepatitis A Virus (Hep A) exposure after a Subway employee in Morrilton tested positive for the virus. The Subway is located at 1812 AR-9 Bus, off I-40 Exit 108.
  • Any individual, who has eaten food from the Morrilton Subway between March 25, 2015 and April 5, 2015 and is experiencing symptoms, should contact their primary care provider immediately. Typical symptoms of Hep A include, but are not limited to: fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dark urine, clay-colored bowel movements, joint pain, or jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes).
  • Hep A is a contagious liver disease that results from infection with the Hepatitis A virus. It can range in severity from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a severe illness lasting several months. A person can transmit the virus to others up to 2 weeks before and one week after symptoms appear.
  • There are no specific treatments once a person gets Hep A.  However, it can be prevented through vaccination or through receipt of a medicine called immune globulin. This medicine contains antibodies from other people who are immune to Hep A.
  • People without symptoms who have eaten at this Subway between March 25, 2015 and April 5, 2015 and are: 
  • under 1 year of age, are too young to be vaccinated and may wish to seek out immune globulin from a health care provider. 
  • between 1 year to 40 years of age, and if never vaccinated for Hep A, may wish to seek out vaccination from a health care provider. 
  • 41 years old and older, and never vaccinated for Hep A, may wish to seek out immune globulin. Vaccine is not known to be effective in this group post-exposure.
As a matter of policy, employees at Subway use disposable gloves between customers and while preparing food. These behaviors have likely reduced the risk of illness to the public. Nevertheless, individuals who have eaten at this Subway between March 25, 2015 and April 5, 2015, who are pregnant or have severe chronic illness, in particular, liver-related disease, are encouraged to consult with their doctor and consider the above treatment.

The Conway County Health Unit, located at 100 Hospital Drive in Morrilton, will have immune globulin and Hep A vaccine which can be administered upon request with an appointment on or after Wednesday, April 15. If you wish to get one of these medicines from the health department, please call (501) 354-4652 to make an appointment.   
  • At this time, no other Hep A illnesses have been reported to ADH; however, the virus can cause illness anytime from 2 to 7 weeks after exposure. If infected, most people will develop symptoms 3-4 weeks after exposure.
  • Hep A is usually spread when a person ingests fecal matter—even in microscopic amounts—from contact with objects, food, or drinks contaminated by the feces, or stool, of an infected person. 
  • Many people, especially children, may have no symptoms. The older a person is when they get Hep A, typically the more severe symptoms they have.   
  • Almost all people who get Hep A recover completely and do not have any lasting liver damage, although they may feel sick for months. 
  • Hepatitis A is preventable through vaccination. Hepatitis A vaccine has been recommended for school children for many years and one dose of Hep A vaccine is required for entry into kindergarten and first grade as of 2014. Most adults are likely not vaccinated, but may have been if they received vaccinations prior to traveling internationally.
FOX16 Note –
The Subway store issued the following statement this afternoon through the public relations department at SUBWAY – Franchise World Headquarters:
“As soon as we were notified by the Arkansas Health Department (AHD) about a former employee, we took immediate steps to clean the store from top to bottom as a precautionary measure and notify employees who worked with this individual so they can be tested as well. The safety of our customers and our staff is of extreme importance to us and we will continue to cooperate with the Health Department, who has since inspected the restaurant and deemed it safe to open and operate.”