Inactivated-Hepatitis-a-Vaccine-Healive-PFS--300x198Shawn Flynn of KWC News reports that a Charlotte restaurant owner is going on the offensive battling perception and health concern over Hepatitis A.

“The restaurant industry is thriving,” said Jon Dressler, owner of three Charlotte-area restaurants.

That’s one reason he opened his third shop last Fall, Dogwood Southern Table in SouthPark.  Last month, however, he received a call no one wants to get. “We were contacted by the Mecklenburg Health Department that one of our employees had contacted Hep A while on vacation,” said Dressler. “It’s not a cleanliness issue, it’s not an internal issue. The health department didn’t have to shut us down.”

The Health Department issued an alert asking everyone who was there over a two day period to get a vaccination.  That created a lot of concern.  “It impacted the business slightly at first. We were deluged with phone calls,” said Dressler.

Dressler quickly became an expert on Hepatitis A and batted the reality versus perception of it. “To put it bluntly, you have a better chance of winning the lottery in Mecklenburg County than contracting Hep A. Transmission of Hep A has never happened in the history of Meck County,” said Dressler.

Rather than being upset, Dressler has another idea.  “It would be wonderful if all of Mecklenburg County restaurant workers were required to have the Hep vaccination,” said Dressler.