McDonalds Hepatitis Scare: Infected Employee Exposed Thousands

[240 is Back]

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. (AP) -- 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.

[Tombo]

hahaha nice picture title always slipping in the sneaky one 240

[Brutal_1]

Ugh!  Somebody didn't wash their hands 

[ManBearPig...]

Rock Island is 98% black.

[ManBearPig...]

oops, apparently 17% black.  the 75% whites must be hiding whenever i'm there.

[OneMoreRep]

Hepatitis A is no big deal, they will recover.  If it were B or C, then they would have a serious problem....

"1"

[gcb]

Really if the food handling is done correctly then there should be no issue

[#1 Klaus fan]

Hepatitis shmepatatis, it's not AIDS for crying out loud!

[divcom]

hahaha...overkill.  i had tainted dinning rolls at an ICU party.  a nice a$$ injection did the trick.  next?

[timfogarty]

Hepatitis shmepatatis, it's not AIDS for crying out loud!

Hep-C can be very serious, but like HIV can only be transmitted sexually or with sharing needles.  Hep-B is also mostly a sexually transmitted disease.  Hep-A can be transmitted via food if you don't wash your hands after taking a dump.  But there are vaccines for Hep-A and B, and most kids in the US today have had them.   

If you haven't had the Hep-A and B vaccines, go get them.

[Trapper_Slapper]

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. (AP) -- 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.

Geez, my home station is in Illinois! Good thing I'm deployed right now.

[uberman09]

oops, apparently 17% black.  the 75% whites must be hiding whenever i'm there.

[Eyeball Chambers]

Hep-C can be very serious, but like HIV can only be transmitted sexually or with sharing needles.  Hep-B is also mostly a sexually transmitted disease.  Hep-A can be transmitted via food if you don't wash your hands after taking a dump.  But there are vaccines for Hep-A and B, and most kids in the US today have had them.   

If you haven't had the Hep-A and B vaccines, go get them.

You sure do know a lot about STD's.

[FREAKgeek]

Ugh!  Somebody didn't wash their hands 

As discussed in Bay's thread, nobody washes their hands here.

[HTexan]

Hep-C can be very serious, but like HIV can only be transmitted sexually or with sharing needles.  Hep-B is also mostly a sexually transmitted disease.  Hep-A can be transmitted via food if you don't wash your hands after taking a dump.  But there are vaccines for Hep-A and B, and most kids in the US today have had them.   

If you haven't had the Hep-A and B vaccines, go get them.

you can hepatitis B from sweat at the gym.

[timfogarty]

you can [catch] hepatitis B from sweat at the gym.

no you cannot

"Transmission of hepatitis B virus results from exposure to infectious blood or body fluids containing blood. Possible forms of transmission include (but are not limited to) unprotected sexual contact, blood transfusions, re-use of contaminated needles & syringes, and vertical transmission from mother to child during childbirth. "

[Parker]

hahaha nice picture title always slipping in the sneaky one 240

If you look at the picture on the wall, the dude looks like he 's saying "I would"

[Tatyana]

you can hepatitis B from sweat at the gym.

Sweat contains antibodies and other immune system 'kill off the nasty bug' enzymes and proteins.

It is highly unlikely that any human pathogen is transmitted in sweat.

It is just the gross factor thinking about coming in contact with some sweaty ape's body fluid.

[#1 Klaus fan]

If you look at the picture on the wall, the dude looks like he 's saying "I would"

That's not Paul McCartney.

[HTexan]

no you cannot

"Transmission of hepatitis B virus results from exposure to infectious blood or body fluids containing blood. Possible forms of transmission include (but are not limited to) unprotected sexual contact, blood transfusions, re-use of contaminated needles & syringes, and vertical transmission from mother to child during childbirth. "

yes you can.
http://www.germstop.net/articles/spa_safety/73h17373431354.html

[timfogarty]

yes you can.
http://www.germstop.net/articles/spa_safety/73h17373431354.html

One article from 2007, which states


The wrestlers, who were all aged between 18 and 30, were all asked about injuries, as blood-borne infection is a common route of transmission.

Over a third said they had had bleeding or weeping wounds during training and competition. And almost half said that they had had an episode of bleeding during other activities.
...
The findings prompt the author to suggest that sweat, like open wounds and mucous membranes, could be another way of transmitting the infection.


Sounds like bad science to me.  No scientific evidence that anyone has ever caught it via sweat.   Opportunity for it to have been transmitted via a known vector:  blood.   Only a suggestion tacked on at the end that it might be from sweat.

HBV cannot be transmitted skin to skin via sweat or blood.   There must be an open wound.   

[HTexan]

One article from 2007, which states


The wrestlers, who were all aged between 18 and 30, were all asked about injuries, as blood-borne infection is a common route of transmission.

Over a third said they had had bleeding or weeping wounds during training and competition. And almost half said that they had had an episode of bleeding during other activities.
...
The findings prompt the author to suggest that sweat, like open wounds and mucous membranes, could be another way of transmitting the infection.


Sounds like bad science to me.  No scientific evidence that anyone has ever caught it via sweat.   Opportunity for it to have been transmitted via a known vector:  blood.   Only a suggestion tacked on at the end that it might be from sweat.

HBV cannot be transmitted skin to skin via sweat or blood.   There must be an open wound.   

the report has been peer reviewed. show us the study that disproves it.

[Tatyana]

the report has been peer reviewed. show us the study that disproves it.

It proves that HBV is present in sweat, so if you have an open sore that comes in contact with someone who has Hep B, there is a possibility of catching it, especially in sports such as wrestling or boxing.



To state that you can catch it off equipment at the gym is another issue and a huge leap in your interpretation. 

Hep B is a nasty persistent virus, if your gym is not cleaned very often and you have open sores that come in contact with sweaty surfaces, maybe.

So I guess you have been immunised against Hep B then?

[HTexan]

So I guess you have been immunised against Hep B then?

i got "immunised" last year.

[Tatyana]

i got "immunised" last year.

What do you mean by "immunised"? Did you catch Hep B?