Hepatitis A Lawyer & Attorney : Marler Clark : Hepatitis A Blog

By Casey Ross
November 28, 2004

A Market Basket deli worker in Andover has been diagnosed with highly contagious hepatitis A, but health officials say there is no threat to the public.

A female meat cutter went home sick last week and later tested positive for the liver disease, according to supermarket managers. Nine other deli workers in the store have received precautionary treatments, and none has fallen ill.

Andover public health officials were notified of the diagnosis Monday and have been working with supermarket officials to ensure the disease does not spread.

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By Melissa Batulis
November 24, 2004

Nine people were infected with Hepatitis A between September and October this fall after eating at the Maple Lawn Dairy Family Restaurant in Wellsburg. After a thorough investigation, health officials say they are confident the restaurant is safe for customers.

At a meeting of the Chemung County Board of Health Tuesday night, Public Health Director Robert Page says the source of the outbreak was one of the restaurant's employees who was infected with Hepatitis A and did not know. He believes that all cases from there have been isolated.

Spreading Hepatitis or any other disease is always a threat especially this time of year when preparing holiday meals. Page says if people are ill or do not use proper hygiene, diseases or viruses can be spread from person to person. The health department also recommends using gloves when mixing foods like hamburger or stuffing and making sure to clean surfaces especially if raw meat has touched it. Also, use good common sense and wash your hands and fresh foods thoroughly.

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Utah County health board shuns mandatory hepatitis A vaccine

By Sharon Haddock
Deseret Morning News
November 23, 2004

PROVO -- It was the food fight that wasn't.

Those who came to a public hearing Monday prepared to argue against mandatory hepatitis A shots for food handlers didn't have to fight after all.

The Utah County Board of Health opted to pursue a "no bare hands" policy instead.

That means those in the restaurant and fast-food industry may need to put on gloves before preparing any ready-to-eat food or use tongs or spatulas to serve and move food.

The proposal must go through a public-approval process before the board can vote on it. The earliest the board would be able to vote on it would be March.

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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
November 21, 2004

Two Pittsburgh students finished as runners-up in the team category in the regional finals of the 2004-05 Siemens Westinghouse Competition in Math, Science & Technology held at Carnegie Mellon University yesterday.

Sara Bacvinskas, of Brashear High School, and David Chancellor, of Winchester Thurston School, had entered a project called "Dirt in 'Clean' Green Onions: Implications for Transmission of Hepatitis A."

The idea struck them after the largest hepatitis A outbreak of its kind occurred when 660 patrons were sickened and four died after eating contaminated green onions last year at a Chi-Chi's in Beaver County.

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Two teens in finals of science competition
By Christopher Snowbeck, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
November 20, 2004

As Sara Bacvinskas learned about the hepatitis A outbreak at the Beaver Valley Mall Chi-Chi's restaurant last year, she kept wondering how it could have happened.

David Chancellor wondered, too, although his curiosity was piqued, in part, because his mom was busy investigating the outbreak as a public health physician with the state Department of Health.

Earlier this year, the high school students met by chance in a lab at the University of Pittsburgh and went on to collaborate on a science project regarding the outbreak. This weekend, they're presenting their findings at the regional finals of the Siemens Westinghouse Competition in Math, Science & Technology at Carnegie Mellon University.

The project by Bacvinskas and Chancellor on how green onions can become contaminated with hepatitis A virus was among 1,037 entries reviewed for the sixth annual national competition. Just 54 projects advanced to regional finals -- 11 in the Middle States regional being judged here.

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EDITORIAL
November 20, 2004

In Pennsylvania, the state releases reports of restaurant inspections when no violation is found but does not disclose those in which serious violations have been discovered.

All inspection records of Pennsylvania restaurants should be available to the public, as they are in New York and New Jersey and some other states. Some states go further: In Tennessee, the state puts restaurant inspection scores on the Internet. In California, inspection reports are posted on the outside of restaurants.

In Pennsylvania, however, secrecy prevails.

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FDA Recently Approved Produce Safety Plan
Becky Thompson
November 18, 2004

PITTSBURGH -- One year ago, the hepatitis outbreak at Chi-Chi's had us all asking tough questions about the safety of our food supply.

But one year later, has anything really changed?

Federal investigators linked contaminated green onions from Mexico to the hepatitis outbreak.

But now, it's possible you could still get sick from contaminated green onions.

The United States stopped trucks at the border, sent inspectors into Mexican fields and heard a lot of tough talk. There was even a call for a congressional investigation. That never happened.

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BY LAURA WILLIAMS
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
November 17, 2004

A swanky New Hyde Park restaurant was deemed fit for operation yesterday - despite a Health Department warning of possible hepatitis contamination.

After a kitchen worker at Villa Leone restaurant was diagnosed with hepatitis A, health officials said anyone who ate at the Union Turnpike eatery in October was at risk of contracting the disease.

"We're still in the process of testing all employees," Nassau County Health Department spokeswoman Cynthia Brown said.

None of the employees tested so far has the virus, she said.

But health inspectors found other violations at the Italian restaurant, Brown said, adding that she couldn't say what they were because the investigation is continuing.

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Food handlers in training for Jan. 1 certification deadline
By TOM TIBERIO
Tribune Staff Writer
November 16, 2004

SOUTH BEND -- Restaurants and other eateries in Indiana that fail to meet the new Food Handler Certification requirement by Jan. 1 may be fined up to $100 per day.

Phil Schreiber isn't taking any chances.

Schreiber, who owns Between the Buns restaurants, plans to have his entire management and kitchen staff certified. But not just to avoid the penalties for noncompliance.

"It just makes good business sense to know that your staff is going to make sure your customers are not going to get sick," Schreiber said.

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Nikita Hairston
November 16, 2004

The Chemung County Health Department is issuing another warning for those who may have had contact with Hepatitis A.
The department says someone with the virus handled fresh fruits and vegetables in the food cupboard at the United Methodist Church in Pine City on November 6th.
The health officials say the risk of exposure is low, but they want to interview anyone who accepted the produce to see if they should take preventative measures.
So far, the only recorded case is that of the infected food handler.
Director Robert Page said, "We just want to be sure that the public is informed and people don't exaggerate the risks. There have been 10 cases of Hepatitis A who are connected in one way or another."
Keep in mind the warning is for those who received produce on November 6th only.
If you think you've been exposed to Hepatitis A, you can contact the Chemung County Health Department at 737-2028.

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November 16, 2004

MINEOLA, N.Y. -- Patrons of a Long Island restaurant may have been exposed to hepatitis A.

The Nassau County Department of Health says the restaurant, Villa Leone, of New Hyde Park, has reported that one of their food workers had hepatitis A last month.

The health department says all patrons of Villa Leone during the month of October may be at risk for contracting hepatitis A. Symptoms usually surface about three to four weeks after exposure and include fatigue, poor appetite, fever and vomiting. Not everyone who is infected will have all the symptoms.

Some people can transmit the disease before symptoms occur, so health officials advise everyone to carefully wash their hands after using the bathroom and before food preparation.

There are no medicines that can be used to treat a person once the symptoms of hepatitis A appear. The disease is rarely fatal and most people recover in a few weeks without complications.

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New York -WABC
November 15, 2004

A case of hepatitis has been linked to a Nassau County restaurant.
The county department of health says a food handler is infected. He works at Villa Leone on Union Turnpike in New Hyde Park.

The department says anyone who ate at Villa Leone during October may be at risk for contracting Hepatitis A.

Symptoms include fatigue, fever, vomiting and poor appetite.

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By Julie Larson Bricher
November 11, 2004

Among the food safety programs used by today's food companies, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) is clearly the star of the show. As a systematic, science-based method for identifying and correcting microbiological, chemical and physical hazards that can exist within food manufacturing and handling operations, HACCP is universally recognized by industry as an essential element in assuring food safety. Its marquee status stems from the fact that the HACCP approach is proactive rather than reactive, emphasizing food hazard prevention rather than the detection of harmful defects in finished food products.

The latter scenario sets the stage for certain tribulation, says consulting food scientist Rick Stier, who develops HACCP plans and conducts HACCP audits of food processing facilities worldwide. "If you've detected contamination post-processing, your company faces a costly recall, a negative sales impact on the product and/or entire brand, and the legal and ethical liabilities associated with making people ill or causing death. This is why HACCP, in conjunction with the prerequisite programs that support it, constitutes good business. When properly applied, HACCP can significantly reduce the possibility that contamination exists in finished product."

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By Peter Curson
November 11, 2004

Most of us have experienced a bout of food poisoning: an episode of stomach pain or upset often associated with diarrhoea and in some cases vomiting. Such encounters are usually inconsequential, of limited duration and rarely do we think to bother our general practitioner with them. Most of us assume it's something we have eaten or drunk, shrug it off and get on with our lives. Minor bouts of upset stomachs have become so common as to be something we all expect to experience sooner or later, and we rarely question their origin.

Imagine the following scenario:

It's lunchtime and three customers enter an Australian restaurant. The first eats some meat and has a very severe reaction four days later from a virulent form of salmonella. The second eats chicken and three days later comes down with a bad bout of campylobacteriosis, with diarrhoea, fever and vomiting. The third only eats imported cheese and nearly dies a few days later of meningitis. Far-fetched? Not at all. Food poisoning is rampant in Australia, as it is in all developed countries, and it's increasing at an alarming rate.

And the problem is not confined to fast foods

Potentially lethal bacteria are turning up daily in a wide variety of foods. According to European surveys, Salmonella now inhabits up to 75 per cent of chickens, Listeria up to 15 per cent of soft cheeses and Yersinia up to 50 per cent of raw milk.

Salmonella has also been found in other products such as fruit juices, bread and even chocolate.

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November 11, 2004
SEATTLE - The hepatitis A outbreak linked to an infected foodservice worker at a Chemung County restaurant provides further support for case in favor of mandatory hepatitis A vaccinations for all such workers. The Chemung County Health Department warned this week that at least three consumers contracted hepatitis A after eating at the Maple Lawn Dairy in Elmira between September 26 and October 10.
The average incubation period for hepatitis A infection is thirty days, but can be as long as fifty days. Preventive measures are only available for the two weeks after exposure to the virus; therefore, those patrons who ate at the Maple Lawn Dairy between September 26 and October 10 and were exposed to the virus should now be on the look-out for signs of hepatitis A infection.
"It seems that a month hardly passes without a warning from a health department somewhere that an infected food handler is the source of a potential hepatitis A outbreak," said attorney William Marler, managing partner of Marler Clark. "The restaurant industry should act now, and require vaccination of its employees."

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By Mike Belt, Journal-World
Wednesday, November 10, 2004

A food service employee at a Kansas University residence hall has been diagnosed with hepatitis A, but health officials said there was no reason for students or staff to panic.

As a precaution, the Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department vaccinated 17 co-workers of the employee at Gertrude Sellards Pearson Hall Monday night, the university said.

University officials said the ill employee, who wasn't identified, was recovering away from work and was on sick leave the week before the diagnosis.

The chance of students contracting the disease is very low, said Kim Ens, the health department's disease control program director.

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"They say that time heals all wounds, but it will be a long time before this is healed. I'll never really recover." -- Richard Miller

Sunday, November 07, 2004
By Christopher Snowbeck, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

On that fateful Sunday, it was a coupon that took Richard and Linda Miller to the Beaver Valley Mall Chi-Chi's -- a coupon that turned out to be invalid for the lunch they planned on sharing.

Not a regular at the restaurant, Linda Miller raised the possibility of going elsewhere to eat on Oct. 12, 2003, but Richard thought they might as well stay.

The Millers went on to become two of the 660 people sickened with hepatitis A in the largest outbreak of its kind in U.S. history. Four Chi-Chi's patrons died from the disease and, short of those cases, Richard Miller's sickness might have been the worst. Hepatitis A forced him to undergo a liver transplant, and the Beaver County man continues to struggle with a host of health problems to this day.

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Associated Press
November 9, 2004

LAWRENCE, Kan. - Health officials said it is unlikely that students will catch hepatitis A after a food service employee at the University of Kansas was diagnosed with the infection.

The Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department gave 17 co-workers of the employee at the Gertrude Sellards Pearson Residence Hall vaccine shots Monday night as a precautionary measure, the school said.

University officials said the ill employee is recovering away from work and was on sick leave the week before the diagnosis.

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CHRISTINE V. SULAT
November 9, 2004
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Four people in Chemung County have come down with hepatitis A, one a food worker at Maple Lawn Dairy in Ashland and three people who had eaten there.

County Health Department officials are warning people who ate at the restaurant between Sept. 26 and Oct. 10 that they may have been exposed to the virus.

Symptoms include fatigue, fever, poor appetite, abdominal pain, diarrhea, dark urine and yellowing of the skin and eyes.

Anyone showing those symptoms and who may have had contact with someone who has hepatitis A is urged to see their doctor or go to an emergency room for a blood test. If the test results show hepatitis A, the Health Department will be notified, said Robert E. Page, county public health director.

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Lee Bacalles
WENY TV
November 9, 2004

If you ate at Elmira's Maple Lawn Dairy Family Restaurant between September 26th and October 10th, you may want to schedule an appointment with your doctor.

That's the advice from the Chemung County Health Department. Officials there say a restaurant employee is diagnosed with Hepatitis A. The county's Environmental Health Director says the worker was removed promptly after the discovery, but at least three additional cases have been identified within the last three days.

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The Leader Staff

ELMIRA | Patrons could be at risk from a food worker at Maple Lawn Dairy Family Restaurant who was recently diagnosed with Hepatitis A.

Anyone who ate at the restaurant, located on Maple Avenue in Elmira, between Sept. 26 and Oct. 10 may have been exposed, the Chemung County Department of Health announced Saturday.

The Heath Department is advising a trip to the doctor for anyone who ate at the restaurant between those dates that is experiencing symptoms such as fatigue, fever, poor appetite, abdominal pain, diarrhea, dark urine or yellowing of skin and eyes.

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"They say that time heals all wounds, but it will be a long time before this is healed. I'll never really recover." -- Richard Miller

Sunday, November 07, 2004
By Christopher Snowbeck, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

On that fateful Sunday, it was a coupon that took Richard and Linda Miller to the Beaver Valley Mall Chi-Chi's -- a coupon that turned out to be invalid for the lunch they planned on sharing.

Not a regular at the restaurant, Linda Miller raised the possibility of going elsewhere to eat on Oct. 12, 2003, but Richard thought they might as well stay.

The Millers went on to become two of the 660 people sickened with hepatitis A in the largest outbreak of its kind in U.S. history. Four Chi-Chi's patrons died from the disease and, short of those cases, Richard Miller's sickness might have been the worst. Hepatitis A forced him to undergo a liver transplant, and the Beaver County man continues to struggle with a host of health problems to this day.

"They say that time heals all wounds, but it will be a long time before this is healed," Miller, 58, said last week. "I'll never really recover."

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By MICHAEL DOYLE
McClatchy Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON (SMW) - Dangerous food potentially stays on shelves too long because of ineffective recalls, a congressional watchdog agency warns.

Less than half of the recalled food studied was actually returned or destroyed, the Government Accountability Office noted in its new study. Moreover, federal officials can't issue mandatory recall orders for food - a power other agencies have over dangerous toys or medical devices.

"Consumers may be vulnerable to serious illness, hospitalization, and even death, in part, because of weaknesses in (federal) programs for monitoring companies' recalls of unsafe food," the GAO said.

Even so, some of the proposed solutions might cause gagging among California's politically attuned food processors. In particular, the GAO is urging Congress to grant the Agriculture Department and Food and Drug Administration the authority to flat-out order food recalls.

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JOE MANDAK
Associated Press

PITTSBURGH - One year ago, more than 600 people were sickened from hepatitis A-tainted green onions served at a Chi-Chi's restaurant. Four of the victims died.

Since then, the Louisville, Ky.-based Chi-Chi's chain has vanished and more than 300 legal claims have been settled for about $10 million.

Most important, the produce industry and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have taken steps to make the nation's fresh fruit and vegetables safer. Industry officials and food safety experts say new voluntary guidelines have made the food supply safer than ever, but some consumer advocates say the public will be protected only if the rules become mandatory.

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