Time Running Out For Waffle House Customers Exposed To Hepatitis A
April 22, 2005
Amanda Bellinder, All Headline News Contributor
CLINTON, Tennessee (AHN) - Health officials say time is running out for those who at the Clinton Waffle House between April 5 and 15; the diners may need an immune globulin shot which diverts the viral liver disease, hepatitis A, that causes serious illnesses and possibly death.
In order for the shot to be effective, an infected person must have the shot administered within the first 2 weeks of exposure.
As of Wednesday, 1,241 people of the estimated 5,000 who ate at the Waffle House received the shot at the National Guard Armory in Clinton.
No positive hepatitis A cases have been reported among the guests of the diner said Carole Martin, spokeswoman for the East Tennessee Regional Health Office.
Martin said a server at the Waffle House was among the ones tested positive and since hepatitis A is commonly spread through food tainted with infected feces, concern rose. She said, if the server used the bathroom and failed to wash his/her hands properly, then touched any food, the disease could be transmitted.
Clinton Waffle House was cited April 18 by health inspectors as having an inaccessible hand washing sink in the restaurant.
Martin added that Waffle House is not responsible for the outbreak of hepatitis A that has spread across three Tennessee counties this month and has infected at least 17 people, but an unnamed restaurant in La-Follette, Tennessee is suspected.
Some of the 17 who tested positive could be traced back to the La-Follette restaurant but none of the restaurants employees have tested positive so it remains unnamed. An investigation is still underway.
Officials say an additional 2,000 diners who ate at Waffle House April 1-4 could be infected, and since their window for prevention has passed it is imperative they look for symptoms as treatment is necessary at this point.
"We know that most of the people who ate there are probably tourists from outside the state," Martin said.
She said authorities were concerned they would return home and not receive warnings or preventive information.
Martin said two health departments in Anderson County, Tenn., have fielded calls from Florida and South Carolina who ate at the restaurant.
Several Kentucky health department directors said yesterday that they were not aware of the hepatitis outbreak in Tennessee and had not received any expressions of concern from residents.
