Demi More

Stars in Hepatitis A scare

Updated 08.02 Fri Feb 22 2008
Keywords: Hepatitis A, bar, New York, Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher

Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher are some of the stars being urged to get a Hepatitis A vaccine after a bartender at a New York bar they visited was found to be infected.

The city health department issued a statement, warning anyone who visited Socialista in Manhattan's West Village on February 7, 8 or 11 to get a vaccination.

Moore reportedly hosted a 30th birthday bash for her husband Kutcher at the venue on February 7 after a star-studded dinner at Gemma restaurant

Moore reportedly hosted a 30th birthday bash for her husband Kutcher at the venue on February 7 after a star-studded dinner at Gemma restaurant.

Guests at the event included Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ivanka Trump, Liv Tyler, Catherine Keener, Lucy Liu and Salma Hayek.

Socialista was not immediately available for comment, nor were representatives of Moore or Kutcher.

The New York health department said: "Any patron who visited the establishment after 8pm on February 7th or 8th, or after 10 pm on February 11th (the times the infected person worked after becoming infectious), is considered to be at risk and needs a preventive shot."

It said the bar owners were cooperating fully and estimated between 700 and 800 people had visited the bar on those nights, but added that no cases of illness had yet been identified.

Hepatitis A is a liver disease caused by a virus and is spread from person to person by putting something in the mouth that has been contaminated with traces of fecal matter from an infected person, the department said.

Symptoms include jaundice, fatigue, abdominal pain, nausea, and diarrhea.

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