Christopher Larime goes out to lunch most days, often with co-workers from the General Motors Tech Center in Warren.
The father of three said he ate in March at the Buffalo Wild Wings across Mound Road from his office. It’s the same restaurant where a food worker was later found to have hepatitis A.
Larime is one of 837 people sickened with the virus in Michigan since August 2016. It has killed 27 people in the state, which remains in the throes of the biggest hepatitis A outbreak in the country.
As of May 23, hardest hit are Macomb County, with 220 cases; the City of Detroit, with 170; Wayne County, with 144, and Oakland County, with 114 cases.
The virus is highly contagious and can be spread through food or water contaminated by the feces of an infected person, through close contact or sex with a person who has hepatitis A or by touching a surface contaminated by the virus and then touching your mouth. It causes liver inflammation — and liver failure in extreme cases — and can be prevented through vaccination and hand washing.
The outbreak has led to alerts from county health departments about several restaurants in metro Detroit where as many as 35 workers were found to have the virus and who may have spread it unknowingly to diners. The virus is contagious weeks before a person begins to exhibit symptoms, which makes it extremely challenging for public health officials to manage.
The Wayne County Health Department and the City of Detroit’s Health Departmentnow recommend all restaurant employees and food handlers get the vaccine. Oakland County’s Health Division also urges restaurant employees to consider vaccination.
Last month, the State of Indiana’s Department of Health issued a travel alert warning Hoosiers planning to visit Michigan to get vaccinated before they come.
Read more about the string of Hepatitis A in the metro Detroit area here.