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Hundreds of patrons of two Guadalupe restaurants have received free shots this week in hopes of preventing or lessening the severity of a hepatitis A infection. Maricopa County officials learned Friday that a patient admitted to a hospital with a hepatitis A infection was employed at the San Diego Bay and El Yaqui restaurants, public health spokeswoman Jeanene Fowler said. "We usually don't hear about it until the window (of the injection's effectiveness) is closed," she said. "Since we found out about this rather quickly we were . . . able to offer this to the community." advertisement About 70 patients received the injection before noon today at the Guadalupe Family Health Center. County officials are offering the free shot until 4 p.m. today at the center, 5825 E. Calle Guadalupe. Officials gave the injection, which is effective within two weeks of exposure to the illness, to another 200 people on Sunday. Hepatitis A, a viral illness affecting the liver, can be spread by eating food or drinking water that has been contaminated with the stool of an infected person. Lack of hand washing can contribute to the spread of the disease. "There's a good chance, with proper hand washing, that no one could have contracted Hepatitis A from eating at the restaurant," Fowler said. Guadalupe resident Frances Osuna went to get a shot Tuesday afternoon after hearing on television that the injections would be offered. "I didn't think about it, and then I remembered on the last week of December my son brought home some burritos," she said. "I didn't want to be sick because I babysit." Carol Brierley said she brought six employees from her nearby silk-screening business to the clinic Tuesday because they often order take-out food from El Yaqui. Brierley, a registered nurse, said when she heard about the potential for infection, she went to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control Web site to print off information about the disease for her employees. "I wanted to make sure they had the proper knowledge and protection," she said. "I said, 'We're going on our hepatitis field trip after lunch today,' so down we came." Because the shot is only effective within two weeks of exposure, the shot is only being offered to people who ate at either restaurant between Dec. 26 and Dec. 30. Those who have received a hepatitis A vaccine do not need the shot. Anyone who ate at the restaurants before Dec. 26 and shows symptoms of hepatitis A should go to an emergency room or another healthcare provider, Fowler said. Symptoms of the disease include nausea, diarrhea, fever, fatigue, loss of appetite and jaundice. County officials said symptoms generally develop about a month after exposure to the virus but can appear15 to 50 days after exposure.