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Over 2,700 Exposed to Hepatitis A at Olive Garden Restaurant

  • Spence Cooper
  • August 17, 2011

Over 2,700 Exposed to Hepatitis A at Olive Garden RestaurantLast week, after a server at an Olive Garden in Fayetteville, North Carolina, confessed to her boss that she tested positive for hepatitis A, approximately 2,700 people who ate at the restaurant on one of the eight days in late July and early August when the server was on duty, rushed to get vaccinated against the virus.

The risk of hepatitis A infection, among others, is dramatically lowered by frequent hand washing; this event should serve as a stern reminder to wash your hands whenever mingling in public.

The Fay Observer reported some customers said their opinions of Olive Garden had diminished with the hepatitis scare, saying they wouldn’t return, while others said they understood it could happen at any eatery.

“It just makes you realize how people aren’t that clean,” said 23-year-old Leigh-Anne Holland, who ate at Olive Garden on July 31. “It can happen anywhere.”

The Olive Garden on North McPherson Church Road in Fayetteville serves about 800 people every day, and The Observer claims those who dined there on seven specific dates – as well as the employees – are being asked to get vaccinated, according to county health officials.

The Observer noted it was possible that customers who ate in the restaurant before July 25 may have been exposed, but claim a vaccine is not effective after more than 14 days have passed since infection.

The Observer warned customers should still remain alert for any signs of illness. Early signs of hepatitis A appear two to six weeks after exposure, and symptoms of include a mild fever, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, exhaustion, pain in the right upper abdomen, dark urine, light-colored feces and jaundice.

Last week, Fox News reported diners at a Vancouver steakhouse were warned of possible hepatitis A exposure after the chef tested positive for the virus while prepping for a kidney operation.

The following is a list from Fox News of other hepatitis A cases:

* In 2009, public health officials urged more than 10,000 McDonald’s patrons in Illinois to get hepatitis A vaccines after two employees of the chain were found to be infected. At least 20 people fell ill as a result of the exposure.

* In 2008, celebrities including Demi Moore, Madonna, and Gwyneth Paltrow mingled with hepatitis A during Ashton Kutcher’s 30th birthday party at Socialista, a swank”and now defunct”New York City nightclub. A bartender who worked the party reportedly contracted the virus on a vacation to Honduras.

* In 2003, a hepatitis A outbreak at a Chi-Chi’s Mexican restaurant near Pittsburgh killed four and sickened more than 600. The outbreak”the worst in the nation’s history”was eventually traced back to salsa containing contaminated green onions from Mexico.

* In 2000, 23 people contracted hepatitis A after eating at a Taco Bell stand located in a Fruitland Park, Fla., gas station. One victim, a former mayor of the city, fell into a coma and nearly required a liver transplant. The virus was”again”traced back to green onions.

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