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Demi Moore, Madonna are advised to get vaccinated

By David Freedlander, amNewYork Staff Writer
More stories | dfreedlander@am-ny.com

February 22, 2008

Demi Moore, Madonna and Ivanka Trump and others who went to a swanky West Village lounge earlier this month are being advised by the Health Department to get vaccinated for Hepatitis A after a possible outbreak was discovered there. (MCT Photo)

Demi Moore, Madonna, Ivanka Trump and other celebrities who reportedly went to a swanky West Village lounge earlier this month, may have been exposed to hepatitis A after a possible outbreak was discovered there by the health department.

Salma Hayek, Gwyneth Paltrow and Liv Tyler were also among the celebs who attended a star-studded 30th birthday party Moore threw for husband Ashton Kutcher there on Feb. 7, according to Reuters.

A bartender at Socialista was discovered to have the virus earlier this week and when city health department officials inspected the bar they discovered that it lacked hand-washing soap.

Health officials have urged anyone who was at the bar on Feb. 7, 8, or 11 to get vaccinated and is offering free shots at P.S. 41 over the weekend. The bar was allowed to stay open, however.

According to the health department, hepatitis A is a relatively rare disease spread by putting something in one's mouth that has been contaminated with traces of fecal matter.

Each time a case is discovered, Health officials are notified, and if the infected person works in food service, officials inspect their place of business.

Socialista opened last year after a $2-million makeover by former Bungalow 8 doorman Armin Amiri and quickly gained a reputation for upscale exclusivity.

A review by amNewYork's partner Metromix described the bar soon after it opened as a "decaying Cuban watering hole pre-missile crisis and is tougher to get into than the Communist country under embargo."

The bar did not return phone calls seeking comment by press time, but a reservationist who answered the phone confirmed Socialista would remain open in the meantime.