Vancouver Island shoppers may have been exposed to hepatitis A after coming into contact with food purchased at a Wal-Mart.

The Vancouver Island Health Authority is advising Duncan, B.C., residents a Wal-Mart employee who worked in the store’s delicatessen has tested positive for the disease.

People who purchased or consumed ready-to-eat food, sliced meat or cheese from the deli between Dec. 20 and Jan. 10 may have been exposed to the disease, which affects the liver.

The health authority is offering free immunizations to the public over the weekend. One dose of the vaccine, which protects against infection, is being recommended for potential food-related exposure.

The disease is highly contagious and commonly spreads through hand-to-mouth contact with anything the infected person might have touched.

The virus is found mostly in the stool of the infected person. People who prepare food can spread the disease if they are infected and don’t properly wash their hands.

Symptoms of hepatitis A include fever, tiredness, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain followed by dark-coloured urine, light-coloured stools and jaundice.

Individuals who still have food from the deli purchased between Dec. 20 and Jan. 10 should dispose of the items immediately, the health authority said.

All potentially contaminated food now has been removed from the store ? and it is safe to purchase and consume food from the deli, the health authority said in a release.