Public health authorities are asking customers who ate at a Calgary McDonald's restaurant to contact them after a food handler at the location was confirmed to have Hepatitis A.

The person assisted in meal preparation at the restaurant in the Foothills Industrial Park in the city's southeast.

The Calgary Health Region said people who ate at the McDonald's between Oct. 1 and Oct. 23 may have been exposed.

Individuals who have had the infection in the past or who have been vaccinated against hepatitis A with two doses, six to 12 months apart, are not at risk of infection, the CHR said in a release.

“It is important to identify people who have been exposed,” said Dr. Judy MacDonald, deputy medical officer of health for Calgary Health Region.

The CHR will be operating a Hepatitis A vaccination clinic for several days starting Wednesday in a warehouse near the location.  

It is believed the food handler may have contracted the disease while out of the country. The CHR said there is only concern over the one location.

Hepatitis A is an infectious disease of the liver that can be transmitted through contaminated food, from person to person through a fecal-oral route, or indirectly by ingestion of contaminated food or water.

Most people who contract Hepatitis A recover in about one month, although in some cases, it can take six to 12 months. The virus can cause death in rare cases.

It can be spread by food handlers if they are infected with the virus and fail to properly wash their hands after using the washroom.

Symptoms of Hepatitis A include fever, tiredness, loss of appetite, nausea, abdominal pain, dark urine and a yellowing of the skin and eyeballs. There is no specific treatment.