Hepatitis A exposure reported at Manhattan restaurant: NYC Health Department
NEW YORK (PIX11) — New Yorkers who ate at a Lebanese Mediterranean restaurant in Manhattan may have been exposed to Hepatitis A, according to the New York City Department of Mental Health and Mental Hygiene.
ilili Restaurant, located on Fifth Avenue near Madison Square Park, notified the health department of a food handler who tested positive.
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Hepatitis A is a highly contagious liver disease. It can be spread by eating food touched by a person with the disease.
'We are urging these restaurant patrons to consult with their providers and get the hepatitis A vaccine as a precautionary measure,' said Acting Health Commissioner Dr. Michelle Morse. 'If people experience symptoms like yellowing of eyes and skin, fatigue, abdominal pain, nausea, and diarrhea, they should see a doctor immediately, especially if you have not had two doses of the hepatitis A vaccine.'
Restaurant patrons who dined in or ordered takeout between Jan. 31 and Feb. 9 may have been exposed. Officials recommended that anyone who ate at the restaurant between Jan. 17 and Feb. 9 should monitor for Hepatitis A symptoms in the coming weeks.
Dark urine or clay-colored stools
Diarrhea
Feeling tired
Fever
Joint pain
Loss of appetite
Nausea, stomach pain, throwing up
Yellow skin or eyes (jaundice)
No special medicines or antibiotics are needed to treat the disease once symptoms appear. Hepatitis A is rarely fatal, affecting fewer than 1% of cases, according to the NYC Health Department.
Matthew Euzarraga is a multimedia journalist from El Paso, Texas. He has covered local news and LGBTQIA topics in the New York City Metro area since 2021. He joined the PIX11 Digital team in 2023. You can see more of his work here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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