McDonald's Hepatitis Scare: Infected Employee Exposed Thousands

McDonald's Hepatitis Scare: Infected Employee Exposed Thousands

www.huffingtonpost.com

Authorities in northwestern Illinois are trying to figure out why a case of hepatitis A in a McDonald's food handler went unreported for more than three weeks.

An estimated 10,000 people who ate at a McDonald's in Milan are being urged to get preventive treatment for the virus, which can cause fever and abdominal pain.

At least 20 cases of hepatitis A have been confirmed in five Illinois counties, said Rock Island County Health Department spokeswoman Theresa Foes.

An infected McDonald's employee came to work on seven days in July, possibly spreading the virus to patrons. Another McDonald's worker was diagnosed June 17, but health officials didn't know about that case until July 13, said Illinois Department of Public Health spokeswoman Melaney Arnold.

(visit the link for the full news article)



[edit on 21-7-2009 by grover]

As a former chef and kitchen manager I find this outrageous...I sent people home for showing up with the flu...If I recall the law correctly (at least where I worked) if someone was diagnosed with Hepatitis or jaundice they are to be given a note by their doctor informing their employers and they are not to work around food.

According to my Mac's reference library:

The most widespread hepatitis A outbreak in the United States afflicted at least 640 people (killing four) in north-eastern Ohio and south-western Pennsylvania in late 2003. The outbreak was blamed on tainted green onions at a restaurant in Monaca, Pennsylvania.

www.cdc.gov...

AND:

In 1988, 300,000 people in Shanghai, China were infected with HAV after eating clams from a contaminated river.

I smell lawsuits.

www.huffingtonpost.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 21-7-2009 by grover]

Whoever the "guy" with hepatitis is, he probably couldn't afford to NOT work. Poor excuse but hey, when you're working at McDonalds your options are not the best. That could be why 3 weeks went by before it was revealed. Jeesh.

The flip side of that argument is that the manager said tough shat...you work or you lose your job.

I've seen it happen...years ago I was fired for refusing to make a pizza with what was obviously rotten sausage on it.

I threw it out in front of the owner after he ordered me to use it.

Oh man that just makes me shudder.

2nd line.

Edit: I guess this sort of thing is statistically inevitable given the business model of huge fast food franchises such as McD's.

[edit on 21/7/2009 by Now_Then]

reply to post by Now_Then

Your avatar is extremely distracting.



Back to subject...yeah its not good...it could have been worse though...it could have been Hepatitis B of C.

Originally posted by grover
reply to post by Now_Then

 

Your avatar is extremely distracting.

Yhea yhea - I've put her away for another month, she just loves to swim - Oh well, back to the basement with you Jess

which is most commonly transmitted by the fecal-oral route via contaminated food or drinking water. Every year, approximately 10 million people worldwide are infected with the virus.[2] The time between infection and the appearance of the symptoms, (the incubation period), is between two and six weeks and the average incubation period is 28 days

fecal-oral soute sounds errr nice I can already picture this arse scratching greesy low IQ flipper monkey (that's the kids boss BTW).

Hepatitis A does not have a chronic stage and does not cause permanent liver damage.

Still - not a nice extra, would you like health complications with that sir?

Infected individuals are infectious prior to onset of symptoms, roughly 10 days following infection. The virus is resistant to detergent, acid (pH 1), solvents (e.g., ether, chloroform), drying, and temperatures up to 60oC. It can survive for months in fresh and salt water.

I'm getting to the poing where I wont eat anything I have not cooked to death personally, and then scaned with a tricorder.

link for all those ex quotes

It would have to been transmitted via the vegetables...most chain's burgers come in already cooked and frozen so all they have to do is microwave them.

I like my steaks and burger's medium rare but unless I make and cook them myself I eat them medium anyway if not well.

I used to grill or griddle burgers in a couple of places inc. McD's... In McD's the only thing that was microwaved was the eggs I think (I never worked breakfast that much).

But the general rule was never touch the meat patty s, but the lettuce etc was put on by hand - in those days we never had gloves, just a bleeper every so often to tell us to use the alcohol hand wash.

Mind you saying that we never paid attention to the beeper, we handled the buns, veg and meat... We uese to do all sorts of things - the only one I will own up to was to fryer start up game... All players put their hand in, literally, and the fryer is flipped on... Last person with their hand in the fat wins! (it pays to be a wuss in that game )

And none of the above accounts for the dirty little crap monkey that we all know that out of every 100 fast food employees there is always 1, always one looking for some peer attention by sneaking a bun down his undergruds, or spitting in foodstuffs. betting people they don't know outside of their job to do stuff -- I've know these people, and I have logged them for the future (well past now).

Originally posted by Now_Then
And none of the above accounts for the dirty little crap monkey that we all know that out of every 100 fast food employees there is always 1, always one looking for some peer attention by sneaking a bun down his undergruds, or spitting in foodstuffs. betting people they don't know outside of their job to do stuff -- I've know these people, and I have logged them for the future (well past now).

In my 20+ years in the kitchen I never saw anything like that and I did everything except bar tend or own...

If I had ever seen someone do that in a kitchen I was in charge of he would have been out of there before he got that bun from out of drawers.

reply to post by grover

I smell lawsuits.

I think you're right. There seems to be a big cover up going on here.

They seem to be implying that people were exposed by the worker in July..

An infected McDonald's employee came to work on seven days in July, possibly spreading the virus to patrons.

But if this is true....

Symptoms include fatigue, abdominal pain, vomiting and fever and can appear from 15 to 50 days after exposure.

Then the days he worked in July, 6-10 and 13-14 there shouldn't have been any cases reported before the 20th. So it stands to reason that it was the worker in June that exposed people, not the worker in July. The worker that had it in July probably got it from the worker that had it in June.

And if that's the case they're leaving an awful lot of people at risk since they're only treating the ones that ate there in july.

People who consumed food or beverages at the Milan restaurant from July 6-10 or July 13-14 were being treated free Monday and Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Rock Island High School.

The health department says that they didn't find out until July 13th....

but health officials didn't know about that case until July 13, said Illinois Department of Public Health spokeswoman Melaney Arnold.

www.huffingtonpost.com...


But someone from the Rock island County Health Department told local media that they knew on July 10th.

"Friday July 10th is when it was reported to the Rock Island County Health Department," says Wendy Trute with the Rock Island County Health Dept.

The "former employee" that was sick in June also says she informed McDonalds back in June that she was ill.

The former employee we spoke with today says that's when she told managers at McDonald's back in June when she first found out about her Hepatitis A diagnosis.

"I got out of the hospital around the 22nd, 23rd," she says. "It was in June when I told them I had it and it took them this long to do something."

When we asked the health department why it took a month for them to find out, here's what they said.

"I don't have an answer to that question for you," Trute says.

Nice answer huh, and this is from the health department !

"We were not able to reach the person until Monday morning and actually get details as to what their possible duties were and whether they were a food handler, where they work," she says.

That's fine and dandy, but what was their excuse for not notifying the McDonalds until the 13th ? They should have notified the employer as soon as they found out a worker had hepatitis.

www.kwqc.com...


I'm guessing the county may be looking to press criminal charges on someone....

Meanwhile, the Rock Island County Sheriff's Department is poised to begin an investigation into what happened, and when.

An investigation into just who knew what in the course of events will be conducted by the Rock Island County Sheriff's Department. A local hepatitis A case confirmed in early June was not reported to the health department, Foes said, adding she had no details on why that might have happened.

It also looks as if the county expects the McDonalds to reimburse them for the health care....

Rock Island County officials said they had no estimate Monday on the expenses incurred to date, but Davies and others said the costs have to be significant. County Board Chairman Jim Bohnsack said last week that he wants to see whether McDonald's will help by reimbursing the county.

I think if i owned that McDonalds i'd reimburse them the money

www.qctimes.com...

It seems as though the health department may see a lawsuit also, and maybe a medical professional if they failed to notify the health department.


Edit to add;

I also came across this .....

www.foodpoisonjournal.com...< br />
It's an interesting read, and seems like the guy's got a handle on what happened, but take the source into account.

[edit on 7/22/2009 by chise61]