Report: Illinois hepatitis A outbreak would have been prevented with proper handwashing (and vaccination)

Posted: December 2nd, 2009 - 9:59pm by Doug Powell

The Illinois Health Department has concluded its investigation into this summer's hepatitis A outbreak and found that most of the cases originated at the Milan McDonald's and most of the cases “would have been prevented” if only that one employee had properly washed hands.

The findings of the investigation by the Illinois Department of Public Health concludes "the index case was a food handler at the McDonalds in Milan, Illinois and had onset of illness June 11." Investigators also found "other possible sources in the community were ruled out."

And, "The source of the outbreak for the majority of outbreak cases was food eaten at the McDonalds, Milan, Illinois where a food handler worked while infectious and handled foods that were not later cooked."

The state investigation goes on to say that "if the first employee with hepatitis A had used proper hand-washing technique while working the transmission of hepatitis A through food would not have occurred."
 

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Categories: Handwashing, Hepatitis A, Salmonella
Tags: Illinois, Mcdonalds, Milan

Comments

verbster says:

How can outbreaks of this nature be preventable when basic hygiene practices like handwashing are on the honor system? There will always be a dweezle who wipes his backside, discovers he's alone in the room and takes pleasure in avoiding the sink and soap. That same person truly doesn't care that his hand is spreading something more than mustard on a hamburger bun. And by the time it's reported that six customers spent two days doubled over over toilet with norovirus, our dweezle has moved up to being a bartender, where he gets to share a little more of himself via the fragrant lime wedge he just squeezed between the same thumb and forefinger that once again did a slighly sloppy job with the toilet paper a few minutes ago. So what's a person to do when one bad apple of a food worker serves up his own clump of pathogens in the drink you just ordered? How are you going to make an uncaring person like that care? You can't. And there are plenty like him: Two nights ago, in local movie complex restroom, in the short time it took me to take care of business and wash up, I counted three people who chose to share what was under their fingernails with friends and a bucket of hot buttered popcorn. Mmmm-Uhmmm. Delicious.

Posted on December 3rd, 2009 - 4:25pm

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