Disney World Restaurant Worker Tests Positive for Hepatitis A, No Others Infected

A restaurant worker at the park's Hoop-De-Doo Musical Revue was diagnosed with hepatitis A and removed from service

disney-world
Photo: Gene Duncan/Disney Parks via Getty

A restaurant worker at Walt Disney World in Orlando was diagnosed with hepatitis A, according to Florida’s Department of Health. The theme park says that no other employees or guests have been infected.

The employee was part of the cast at the Hoop-De-Doo Musical Revue, one of the dinner theater options at the Fort Wilderness Campground in the Magic Kingdom Resort.

The Department of Health learned of the case on Jan. 24, and confirmed the lab results, WFTV reported. The agency worked with Disney over the last week to provide vaccines to the other staff members.

Erica Ettori, the spokesperson for Walt Disney World, tells PEOPLE that the staff member will not go back to work until they are fully cleared by the Department of Health.

“Nothing is more important to us than safety and we immediately began working with the Florida Department of Health in Orange County,” Ettori says in a statement. “The impacted cast member has not worked since being diagnosed and will not return until officially cleared by the Department of Health. We are not aware of anyone else becoming ill and continue to be engaged with the Department of Health to ensure we have all of the right processes in place to protect our cast members and guests.”

RELATED VIDEO: Wash. Nurse Allegedly Used Her Own Drug Needles on Patients, Leading to Hepatitis C Infections

The Hoop-De-Doo Musical Revue is still open, but it was fully cleaned and sanitized as a precaution.

Hepatitis A is a highly contagious liver infection that typically spreads between food, drinks and other objects. People who are infected develop flu-like symptoms including fever, nausea, abdominal pain and darkened urine. The symptoms typically do not appear for at least two weeks and the illness lasts for several more, but patients typically make a full recovery. In rare cases, hepatitis A can lead to deaths in people over age 50.

Related Articles