Wolfgang Puck cook Has Hepatitis A, Hundreds Exposed To Virus

[951-Riverside]

A prep cook with Wolfgang Puck Catering in Hollywood has been diagnosed with acute hepatitis A, and anyone who attended a recent Sports Illustrated party may have been exposed to the virus, public health officials said today.

The employee helped prepare food at four events between Feb. 14 and Feb. 20, including the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue party at the Pacific
Design Center on Valentine's Day.

Public health officials recommend anyone who ate uncooked food at that party receive an immune globulin shot by tomorrow to prevent development of acute hepatitis A.

Attendees at the three other events, which public health officials described as small, private parties, should receive the shot as soon as possible.

There is no risk to anyone who ate food prepared after Feb. 20. Attendees at the post-Academy Awards Governors Ball, which was catered by Wolfgang Puck, are not at risk for contracting hepatitis A.

None of the restaurants or Express Cafes owned by Wolfgang Puck, or Wolfgang Puck pre-packaged foods, are affected by the virus, according to public health officials.

http://www.myfoxla.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=2517585&version=3&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1

[Porcupine]

1. Kick for Single Payer health care.

This is why you have to have it folks. People who are very poor and don't have health care are handling your food.

[area51]

6. Hear, hear.

One of the consistent things about republinazis is that they never consider the consequences of their actions. By fighting against single-payer, universal healthcare, they want to reserve healthcare for the extremely wealthy. They never stop to think that w/o access to healthcare, poor and middle-class people they interact with can give them diseases. If for no other reason than self-interest, they should be in the forefront of fighting for single-payer, universal healthcare. :eyes:

[Hekate]

8. There's a thing called enlightened self-inerest, but Repubs are in the Dark Ages

I wonder if the health authorities are planning to track down every attendee to give them the news, or have public health funds been slashed so severely they can't even do that any more?

Hekate

[depakid]

2. Unbelievable- here we have another case for vaccination mandates...

Fortunately, I've had my Hep A- and you would think that immunization or a titer would be required in order to get a food handler's license.

Incredible....

[wakeme2008]

3. Problem is that you can be negative one month and positive the next

I have my Hep-A just because I enjoy eating out and that where you can contact Hep-A...

My Yellow Booklet is up to date and I am ready to travel :)

[Eurobabe]

4. That was my first thought, to be a food handler

you must have had Hep-A vaccine. Makes perfect sense right? Or are diners going to have to get a Hep-A vaccine just to EAT OUT safely these days, jeezuz!?

The USA has a seriously fucked up food chain and non-existent prophylactic methodology for protecting consumers from anything. Or so it would seem.

Would you like a samonella PBJ with your the side of e-coli spinach?

[rebel with a cause]

5. when you pay minimum wage (or below)

to your help, you can't expect them to be certified. You pay more for workers who have all the necessary paper work. What goes for immigration papers goes for immunizations.

I know to be a food handler you are expected to have a tb test, but I don't know about the Hep-A vaccine. Don't work with food, but had to have the tb test anytime I worked in youth facilities because food was prepared there. I got the Hep A vaccine because one of the youths I worked with had Hep A. He had been at the facility quite a while before they (the state case worker) got around to letting us know about it. Luckily, no one had contacted the disease from him. I guess we were doing our jobs correctly.

[jmm]

9. Hep vaccines should be required for everyone.

There's no reason smallpox is the only disease that has been eradicated.

[depakid]

10. Actually, they're now part of the vaccine schedule for kids

that's required by most school districts. Older folks will have to go out and get them on their own- and my guess is that for the uninsured, they're available at the county health departments.

[jmm]

11. Hepatitis A isn't required in Massachusetts

Hepatitis B is but I was born during a brief time gap when it wasn't required so I didn't get it until a few years ago for work.

[depakid]

12. States vary- it's required in Oregon

Though I went out and got mine when they became available (I like to eat out, too- but now that we have e coli and salmonella rampant, no more salad bars).

[jmm]

7. I had to get te Hepatitis A immune globulin shot once

A friend from Seattle use to rave about Quizno's so when they came to Boston I told myself I had to try it out. The sub was pretty good and I told myself I had to go there again until a week later I saw on the news that an employee there had tested positive for Hepatitis A. Luckily dates were set up to get the shot for free as usually happens in these circumstances but it sucked having to wait in line blocking your face from TV cameras. Also if I wasn't under doctor's orders to stay out of work that week for an unrelated manner (which made the hours I spent dealing with this even more fun) I would've had to take time off of work because my then job put me in a high risk group for transmission.