ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Across the Tampa Bay area, it seems like the hepatitis A outbreak keeps spreading given more and more cases.
10News put together a list of restaurants where health officials identified a food service worker who tested positive for the virus but the public never was notified.
There was a case at a Taco Bell in Tarpon Springs that was reported, but state records also showed there were two more Taco Bell locations that had hepatitis A cases in 2018. One is located in Largo and one was Dade City.
Records show Hellas Bakery in Tarpon Springs also reported a case of hepatitis A in March.
The restaurant said as soon as they knew what was going on, the entire staff got vaccinated.
An employee at Ulele on the Hillsborough River in Tampa showed up at the hospital and tested positive for hepatitis A. That triggered an immediate notification to the restaurant and 60 employees took advantage of the free, optional vaccinations.
It’s important to remember when an employee gets sick, it’s not the restaurant’s fault: It’s how they handle it afterward and how they handle food safety practices.
Ulele has had top-notch health inspections since the report.
The good news: Most of these restaurants that have had a hepatitis A case come up tell 10News they’ve gone ahead and taken the health department’s advice and gotten all of their employees vaccinated. Once that happens, the risk is eliminated.
That means many of the restaurants listed might be among the safest in town.
Here's a rundown of restaurants affected by the disease:
2019
CENTRAL PARK INC, 7657 SR 54, NEW PORT RICHEY (1/19) -- Employees confirmed the hepatitis A investigation by state health officials in January.
ELEMENT-PB&T, 1413 MAIN STREET, SARASOTA (1/19) -- Hepatitis A case confirmed in a former employee. Restaurant has clean bill of health.
Spring Hill Suites, SARASOTA, 1020 UNIVERSITY PKWY, SARASOTA (1/19) -- Employee confirmed she was vaccinated after hearing a coworker had gotten sick.
JIMMYS FISH HOUSE AND IGUANA BAR, 521 S GULFVIEW BLVD, CLEARWATER BEACH (3/19) -- Employees we spoke with were not authorized to give information.
POLLO TROPICAL 205, 2140 GULF TO BAY BLVD., CLEARWATER (3/19) -- The company is in the process of putting together a written statement.
HELLAS BAKERY, 785 DODECANESE BLVD, TARPON SPRINGS (3/19) -- All employees including the owner were vaccinated.
2018
QUAKER STEAK AND LUBE, 10400 49 ST N, CLEARWATER (8/18) -- Employees contacted told 10 News they could not comment on the hepatitis A case from August.
TONY'S PIZZERIA & RISTAURANTE, 422 CLEVELAND ST, CLEARWATER (11/18) -- Restaurant is under new management; owner says his employees are all vaccinated.
MALONEYS LOCAL IRISH PUB, 1120 E KENNEDY BLVD, TAMPA (11/18) -- Management tells 10 News they are unaware of any cases of hepatitis A despite the state record showing otherwise.
TREASURE ISLAND R BAR, 245 108 AVE, TREASURE ISLAND (12/18) -- All employees now vaccinated. Employee only worked one day.
What other people are reading right now:
- Another hurricane will hit Florida. Are our homes ready? It depends.
- Judge rules against serial killer Bobby Joe Long, says he'll be given lethal injection
- Love bugs are invading Florida: Here's are simple hacks to handle them
- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle welcome baby boy
- Confirmed tornado hit Madeira Beach on Sunday
►Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the 10News app now.
Have a news tip? Email desk@wtsp.com, or visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.