The celebrities attending Ashton
Kutcher’s birthday party were advised to get vaccinated against hepatitis A,
after the New York City Department of Health issued an alert stating that a
case of hepatitis A was discovered at Socialista night club.
The agency said that a bartender,
who was on duty on Feb. 7, the night of Kutcher’s party, on Feb. 8 and 11, was
infected with the disease. Socialista’s owners estimate that 800 people came to
the club during the three nights the respective bartender worked there.
In addition to Demi Moore, Ashton
Kutcher’s wife, high profile celebrities such as Madonna, Bruce Willis, Kate
Hudson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Salma Hayek, Liv Tyler, Molly Sims, Ali Larter, Eric Dane
and Rebecca Gayheart, Lucy Liu, Lake Bell and Ivanka Trump stopped to
congratulate Ashton on his 30th anniversary, E! News reports.
The owners of the venue are
cooperating with the authorities, but said that no cases of contamination have
been identified yet. They urge the celebrities to get vaccinated, to prevent
the infection.
“Although no additional cases of
illness have been identified, the New York City Department of Health is urging
customers to get the vaccination as a precautionary measure. We are grateful
for their efforts, and we will continue to support them in every way possible,”
the restaurant’s officials said in a statement.
Hepatitis A is a liver disease,
caused by a virus, and it is spread from person to person by putting something
in the mouth that has been in contact with traces of fecal matter from an
infected person, the department said. The symptoms are jaundice, fatigue,
abdominal pain, nausea and diarrhea.
A similar incident occurred in
February 2007, when the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
announced that a cook who worked for the party organized for “Sports
Illustrated” annual Swimsuit issue, had hepatitis A. Among the party guests
there were stars such as Beyonce, Bar Refaeli, Veronica Varekova, Yamila Diaz-Rahi, Ana Beatriz
Barros and Marisa Miller. They were all advised to get vaccinated.
