Bartender at Trendy Lounge May Have Exposed 700 Patrons to Hepatitis A

More than 700 patrons of a trendy Manhattan restaurant and lounge may have been exposed to hepatitis A by a bartender, health officials said yesterday.

Officials urged patrons of the bar, Socialista, to be tested for the liver disease and said patrons who visited the bar on February 7, 8, and 11 should get a preventive shot. Health officials learned of the infection on February 19. Inspectors subsequently visited the bar and found there was no soap for hand washing.

Socialista, situated on West Street, is a celebrity hotspot where the actress Cameron Diaz engaged in a dance-off last week, the New York Post reported.

Calls to the bar were not returned.

Hepatitis A, which is rarely fatal, is caused by a virus that spreads from person to person, usually by putting something in the mouth that has been contaminated with traces of fecal matter. The health department investigates more than 120 cases of hepatitis A annually.