BY JEFFREY GAUTREAUX, STAFF WRITER
Jun 8, 2005
Many Yumans are facing the prospect of receiving a Hepatitis A shot after possibly being exposed to the infection while eating at the Chile Pepper restaurant, 1030 W. 24th St., between May 25 and June 2. Some said they were more fearful of eating out while others said they would continue to go to the restaurant.
Four employees of Rural/Metro Fire Department will be getting the shots after they had burritos from Chile Pepper recently. Rural/Metro spokeswoman Adele Wilke said she is afraid of needles and often faints when getting a shot. She was especially nervous about the Hepatitis A shot.

“I’ve heard it’s painful and there’s some side effects,” she said. “It’s similar to a flu shot.”
Preventive treatment for exposure to Hepatitis A is an injection of gamma globulin and can only be administered to people older than six months, according to a Yuma County news release.
Wilke said she applauded the county health department and Chile Pepper for coming forward about the situation. However, she said it was hard to believe that it occurred.
The Hepatitis A is not thought to have originated at Chile Pepper, according to the county, but rather a food handler contracted it from another location.
“It’s scary,” Wilke said. “It makes me want to eat at home more often.”
Dan Peterson and Troy Harris, friends and co-workers from Yuma, say they eat at Chile Pepper about twice a week. They know they ate there May 27 and may have gone another time during the period in question.
“I thought it was a joke,” Peterson said. “At first it was just a flurry of people going crazy and I wasn’t sure what to think.”
Harris plans to get the shot.
Both Harris and Peterson said they felt fine Tuesday. They stressed that they did not blame Chile Pepper and will continue as loyal customers.
“From what I know there wasn’t a way for Chile Pepper to have avoided this,” Peterson said. “It was an unfortunate situation.”
Said Harris: “I’ve eaten there so much having grown up here. I’ve eaten there a thousand times and never had any bad experiences.”
Seven employees of The Sun, most from the accounting department, ate food from Chile Pepper on May 26. Tammy Vasquez said the food was picked up from the restaurant and eaten in the office as an early lunch.
Vasquez said she was shocked initially when she heard the news of the exposure. “The press release eased my mind,” she said. “It’s not Chile Pepper’s fault. This could happen anywhere.”
Three or four of the employees who ate the lunch, including Vasquez, felt sick on Sunday and Monday with flulike symptoms that they thought might be related. Vasquez said they all felt better Tuesday.
Nearly all of the employees are planning to get the shots. “Two are pregnant and have to check if they can have them,” Vasquez said.