Raw Deal for Beyoncé, Partygoers

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Beyoncé Knowles' appearance on the cover of the 2007 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue could have potentially left a bad taste in her mouth. As a result of her cover girl stint, the Dreamgirls star was among the guests at a party for the magazine earlier this month who may have been exposed to hepatitis by a member of the catering staff. Luckily for Knowles, she refrained from eating anything at the event and therefore was not at risk of contracting the virus, her rep, Alan Nierob, confirmed to E! News on Wednesday. According to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, a prep cook from Wolfgang Puck Catering was diagnosed with acute hepatitis A after working at the SI bash on Feb. 14, as well as at 13 other events in recent weeks. Though risk of infection was said to be relatively low, health officials were urging guests of the party who snacked on raw offerings like sushi and fresh vegetables to get vaccinated immediately against the virus as a precaution. Wednesday marked the final day that guests of the SI party could get the vaccine, as it is only effective at preventing illness up to 14 days after exposure. Other attendees of the party included top models Bar Refaeli, Veronica Varekova, Yamila Diaz-Rahi, Ana Beatriz Barros and Marisa Miller, all of whom were also featured in the pages of the swimsuit issue. Sports Illustrated said in a statement that it was taking the situation very seriously. "We are alerting our guests and staff as quickly as possible to ensure they receive the relevant health warnings," the magazine said. Wolfgang Puck Catering president Carl Schuster vowed to work with the health department to "bring a speedy and thorough resolution to this investigation." He said the infected cook had been placed on medical leave following the diagnosis and was not involved in preparing food for any Oscar events catered by the company, including the Governor's Ball following the awards ceremony. Wolfgang Puck restaurants and packaged foods were also said to be unaffected by the outbreak. Guests at three other events that occurred Feb. 14-20 were also being advised to get the vaccine, but attendees of nine parties where the infected cook worked earlier in the month were out of luck, as the deadline had passed. The health department said it was working to notify hosts of those gatherings of the situation so they could warn their guests to be on the lookout for symptoms of hepatitis, which include jaundice, fatigue, fever, chills, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. The virus is spread through close physical contact and (gulp) fecal contamination of food or drink. In other words, not exactly the kind of party favor one wants to take home.