Restaurant hurt by scare
Public health nurse says hepatitis case is nobody's fault
BY ERIN DOWER
MALTA -- During what should be a booming week, business is dwindling at the Ripe Tomato restaurant at Routes 9 and 9P following an announcement last week that an employee was diagnosed with infectious hepatitis.
Joseph Gleason, the owner of the restaurant, said many tables have been empty since state and county health officials announced Thursday that a part-time food service worker had tested positive for hepatitis A, a viral liver infection.
Gleason said he has had to lay off four cooks since last week because business has dropped off so much.
"These are good-standing, family people," Gleason said. "Now they're out of work."
The infected employee was a student who worked three days a week, he said.
Health officials said Thursday that people whose meals included uncooked garnishes, such as lemon slices, parsley, chives or scallions, between 5:30 and 10 p.m. on Aug. 7, 9 and 10 should receive an immune globulin shot within two weeks of the exposure to guard against the disease.
About 1,000 people may have been exposed to the virus, officials estimated.
Saratoga County Public Health nurses inoculated about 600 people free of charge during clinics on Friday, Saturday and Monday at the Woodlawn Avenue building in Saratoga Springs, according to Pat Willson, a nurse and coordinator.
Willson called the confirmed case of hepatitis A "very unfortunate."
Food-service, day-care and health-care workers are typically at the highest risk to contract the virus because they are the most exposed to it, she said.
