“We need to be proactive if the state’s not going to be proactive and demand that anybody working in the food service industry be vaccinated.” Guy Ainnone

As they say, better late than never, but the sentiments are correct.  This foodborne risk is an easy fix – “for goodness sake, vaccinate.”  Just in the last few days a county in Missouri began requiring hepatitis A vaccinations for all food service workers, and now the owner of a restaurant in the middle of a hepatitis A scare offers vaccination.  Good no both.

According to press reports, Charlie Horse owner, Guy Ainnone said he will now be requiring all his employees to get a Hepatitis A vaccine after a recent case at his restaurant.

“Before I hire anybody I will be giving them one week to get a Hepatitis A vaccination. There’s no sense in putting anybody else at risk,” Ainnone said.

The case was one of over a hundred reported in Marion county this year and the second one reported at a restaurant.

“Only about five percent of cases across the state have involved a food service worker. Its important to note that there hasn’t been a documented case of transmission from a food worker to a restaurant patron in the state,” Marion county department of health spokesperson Christy Jergen said.

Marion county health officials said its important for people to get vaccinated and practice good hygiene.

They are encouraging people who ate at Charlie Horse between July 24 and August 1 to get vaccinated.

“We encourage people to not take any risks and we encourage people to get vaccinated. While this outbreak is going on we recommend people to practice good hygiene and wash their hands well with soap and water,” Jergen said.

As for Ainnone he said he hopes other restaurant workers will take this as a learning lesson.

” You may want to send your employees to get the vaccine. It will prevent you from having to go through this.”