An Applebee’s Hepatitis A exposure at the restaurant in Mount Illinois may have exposed customers to the virus, according to a Facebook post by the Jefferson County Health Department. The employee worked while infectious from July 9 through July 19, 2020.
There has been a Taco Bell hepatitis A exposure at the restaurant on Erie Boulevard in Rome, New York. That employee worked while infectious, according to a press release by the Oneida County Health Department.
The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC) issued a health advisory after identifying a case of acute hepatitis A virus infection in a Saco, Maine, food service worker. A food service worker infected with Hepatitis A handled food from May 12 to May 23, 2020 at the Sea Salt Lobster Restaurant. The Sea Salt Lobster Restaurant is located in Saco, Maine. The ill food worker handled food while infectious with Hepatitis A.
Anyone who dined at The New White Steamer at 21 East Main Street in Washington, Indiana from May 12 to May 15, 2020 may have been exposed to hepatitis A, according to a release by the Daviess County Health Department. The press release did not have many details, and did not say whether or not a food handler was sick or if there was any other source of the exposure.
An employee tested positive for hepatitis A at LaRoma’s Pizzeria in Rome, New York, according to a press release issued by the Oneida County Health Department. The employee “worked while infectious and may have exposed people who were patrons of the shop,” according to the press release. The Health Department is also alerting people who ordered take-out food from that venue.
On 12 May 2020, Health Protection Scotland (HPS) published the following annual surveillance reports:
Dr. Karen Shelton, director of the health district said in a statement, “Individuals who ate food from Taco Bell in Chilhowie during that time and who have not been previously vaccinated for hepatitis A or have not previously had the disease are recommended to receive the hepatitis A vaccine. This may help prevent, or lessen the severity of, illness. The vaccine works best if given within 2 weeks of exposure and may not prevent infection with Hepatitis A for all, but it can help protect many who have been exposed.”
According to the Health Department, the Taco Bell has been cooperating with this investigation and has been compliant with safe food handling practices. The restaurant was sanitized and all employees have been offered hepatitis A vaccinations.
Since April 15, Public Health for Seattle and King County, WA, has learned of three people from three separate meal parties becoming ill with jaundice, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, fever, and fatigue after consuming food from the Señor Moose restaurant between Feb. 24 and 26.
There is no indication that any current employees of the restaurant have had illnesses consistent with hepatitis A symptoms. Public Health is also contacting former employees to find out if any of them have been ill.
The restaurant, at 5242 Leary Ave. NW, in Seattle, has a current food safety rating of “Good.”
This outbreak, which involves the hospitalization of one person, is occurring while the Seattle-King County area is experiencing an outbreak of hepatitis A, mostly among the homeless. Washington State last July declared a statewide hepatitis A outbreak among people who are homeless or using drugs.
Food poisoning outbreaks occur every year in the United States. These outbreaks can be caused by bacteria such as E. coli, Salmonella, Listeria Monocytogenes, Clostridium botulinum, Campylobacter, Shigella, Staphylococcus aureus, Brucella, Vibrio, and Bacillus cereus; and viruses such as norovirus and hepatitis A. At least 48,000,000 Americans are sickened with food poisoning every year. Do you know the common symptoms of all of the food poisoning pathogens? Follow the link above to find out.
Posted in Bacillus, Bacillus cereus, Campylobacter, Clostridium botulinum, Clostridium perfringens, E.coli, food contamination, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, Food Testing, foodborne disease, Foodborne Illness, Hepatitis A, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Norovirus, Salmonella, Shigella, Uncategorized, Vibrio
The foodborne spread of hepatitis A virus (HAV) poses a risk for outbreaks, even among developed countries where general rates of HAV are low, according to a new study.
As the global trade of food products continues to grow, the potential for such outbreaks requires new approaches and tools for early disease detection and control (Foodborne Pathog Dis [Epub Dec 12, 2019]. http://doi.org/10.1089/fpd.2019.2648).
The researchers conducted a search of published literature in order to identify HAV foodborne outbreaks that occurred from Jan. 1, 2012, to Dec. 31, 2018. Specifically, the team looked at outbreaks in developed countries, according to International Monetary Fund definitions. The United States, Japan, Germany, France, Italy, the United Kingdom and Canada were included, as were the 15 members of the European Economic Area, and four newly industrialized Asian economies.
FoodWorld 