By ANDY SEVILLA

A Whataburger employee in Central Austin has been diagnosed with hepatitis A, officials now are warning store customers to contact their physician.

While the business is located at 2800 Guadalupe Street in Austin, many Hays County residents — 70 percent of Kyle and Buda’s workforce — commute to the Capital City for work and a possibility exists that those commuters may have dined at that Whataburger, the Austin/Travis County Health Services Department said.

Hays County spokesperson Laureen Chernow also said the Austin health department requested the information be shared with Hays County residents due to the county’s proximity to Austin.

Hepatitis A is a contagious liver disease usually spread when a person ingests something that has been contaminated with the feces of an infected person, including contaminated food or water, the health department said in a statement.

Hepatitis A can range in severity from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a severe illness lasting several months, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states on its website.

Officials said that while transmission of hepatitis A to customers is not likely, the health department is recommending people contact their physician if they ate food at that Whataburger between Aug. 7 and Aug. 19, and are: 75 years of age or older, immune compromised, persons with chronic liver disease, persons with clotting-factor disorders or persons experiencing hepatitis A symptoms.

Persons not falling in the aforementioned risk categories, but have additional concerns, are also encouraged to contact their healthcare provider or the Austin/Travis County Health and Human Service Department at (512) 972-4372.

Austin public health officials also are working with the Whataburger Corporation to ensure employees use proper control measures at the Guadalupe location, the agency said.

Whataburger, who said in a statement that the hepatitis A diagnosis of one of its employee’s is a top priority, also has established a hotline for anyone with questions about the situation at (844) 569-5555.

“We invest a tremendous amount of time and effort to ensure food safety, so we have a team actively managing the situation…” the Whataburger statement said. “We remain committed to a safe and clean dining experience for our employees and customers, and we have taken several precautionary measures, including providing all of our team members who work at this restaurant a Hepatitis A vaccine at Whataburger’s expense.”

Hepatitis A outbreaks usually result from one of two sources of contamination: an infected food handler or an infected food source, the CDC states. When a food handler is infected, the risk for restaurant patrons increases if the handler is infectious and has poor hygiene.

Signs and symptoms of hepatitis A usually appear two to four weeks after exposure, although they may occur up to seven weeks later, the health department said. Children under six years of age who have contracted the virus often do not have or show few signs and symptoms. Children, however, are least likely to get sick because they are typically immunized, the agency said.

Proper hand washing is the best way to stop the spread of the virus, health officials said.

Symptoms of hepatitis A:

Fever

Fatigue

Loss of appetite

Nausea

Vomiting

Abdominal discomfort

Dark urine

Clay-colored bowel movement

Joint pain

Jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes).