HOUSTON -- The Harris County Health Department rounded up medicine Monday to treat Houstonians exposed to Hepatitis A at a north Houston restaurant, KPRC Local 2 reported.

A waiter at a north Houston restaurant tested positive for Hepatitis A and thousands of diners may have been exposed.

According to the Harris County Public Health and Environmental Services, the waiter works at Pappasito's Cantina on the North Freeway near Airtex Drive.

Officials said the waiter worked at the restaurant while he was infectious. Employees and diners at the restaurant on the following dates may have been exposed:

Jan. 23-27 Jan. 30-31 Feb. 1 Feb. 3 Feb. 7-9

Health officials recommended diners or employees who were at the restaurant Feb. 7-9 receive an immune globulin shot to help prevent the disease from developing. Authorities said the shot is only effective up to two weeks after potential exposure to the disease.

The free shots will be available at the Mangum-Howell Center in the 2500 block of Frick Road beginning Tuesday through Thursday. Employees and diners can receive the shots from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Hepatitis A passes from person to person. Most people recover without any major long-term health problems, but there are exceptions.

"People who have underlying major medical problems, specifically those with underlying liver diseases like chronic Hepatitis B and chronic Hepatitis C," said Dr. Jin Zhang with Kelsey-Seybold Clinic. "Hepatitis A -- they can go into full liver failure, meaning the liver shuts down and can no longer work and you might even need a transplant. But that's so, so rare."

A person with the virus is infectious from about two weeks before to one week after the person experiences jaundice, a yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes. Infants and children do not always show symptoms.

"It could be flu-like symptoms where you just feel tired. You don’t feel like eating and maybe a little nausea or vomiting and some pain on the upper right where the liver is located," Zhang said.

Symptoms of Hepatitis A include:

Extreme tiredness
Fever
Nausea and/or vomiting
Stomach pain or diarrhea
Light-colored stool or dark, rust-colored urine
Jaundice

Officials said the best way to protect against Hepatitis A is to thoroughly wash hands with soap and water.

A hotline has been setup to give the public more information about Hepatitis A. The hotline is available Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at 713-212-0200.

Information is also available online at www.hcphes.org.