April 20, 2005
CLINTON (WATE) — Vaccinations continue Wednesday for diners who ate at a Waffle House in Clinton between April 5th and 15th. A worker there has tested positive for hepatitis A.
Officials estimate 5,000 people dined at the Waffle House located at 2255 N. Charles Seviers Blvd. during the specified time. The highest risk is for people who ate uncooked foods, such as salads, or had iced drinks.
A clinic is set up to dispense the shots at the Tennessee National Guard Armory Building on the J.D. Yarnell Parkway in Clinton. The shots are free. They’re only effective if given within 14 days of exposure.
The schedule for shots is as follows:

Diners between April 5-8 – vaccinations Tuesday or Wednesday 1:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Diners between April 9-10 – vaccinations Wednesday 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Diners between April 11-15 – vaccinations Thursday 8:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
The clinic will also be open Friday from 8:30 a.m. to noon
Clinic staff says over 500 people were vaccinated Tuesday. They expect even more to be vaccinated Wednesday.
But if the shots were to run out, Art Miller, with the Anderson County Health Department, says, “All we have to do is just call Nashville and within a few hours we can have more.”
One woman getting a shot Wednesday, Frances Wilkerson says she has no hard feelings for the Waffle House. “It could happen anywhere so I’m not really upset about it.”
On April 18th, health inspectors spent over an hour in the Waffle House. They found three critical violations, enough to drop the score to 76, six points above passing.
The most alarming violation was a hand-sink that wasn’t accessible. The inspectors gave the Waffle House 10 days to correct its problems.
A supervisor told 6 News Wednesday that the hand sink is now ready to use. It was full of hand towels when the inspectors came.
The outbreak began in Campbell County last week.
In a press release on Tuesday, Dr. Paul Erwin, director of the Regional Health Department, said they have evidence “…linking the majority of cases of hepatitis A in Campbell County to having eaten at a specific restaurant in LaFollette in March. However, no employee at that restaurant has yet tested positive.”
Erwin says officials don’t believe there’s been any exposure at any restaurant in Campbell County within the past 14 days. He also says no one currently working in a restaurant in Campbell County is known to have hepatitis A.
There are a total of 17 confirmed cases in East Tennessee. Thirteen are in Campbell County, one in Anderson and three are in Scott. The outbreak began in Campbell County last week.
The symptoms of hepatitis A include abdominal pain, loss of appetite, nausea and diarrhea. People with the virus usually experience extreme fatigue, to the point where they don’t want to get out of bed, along with a high fever. Doctors say jaundice is the most notable sign of the virus.
It usually takes around 30 days between the time that a person gets infected with hepatitis A and when they become sick.
Ninety staff members from 15 counties are working at the vaccination clinic in 12-hour shifts.
Employees who are being tested for the virus can’t return to work until they’re deemed healthy.
If you want more information about hepatitis A, you can call 549-5307 or toll free long distance at 1-866-852-6710.