For years I have been warning food manufacturers and restaurants to voluntarily vaccinate their employees against Hepatitis A. Large, well-publicized Hepatitis A outbreaks have become increasingly common in the restaurant industry.
As of last Friday afternoon, the Cumberland County North Carolina Health Department announced that it had administered an estimated 3,000 doses of Hepatitis A immunizations (immune globulin (Ig) shots) to people who may have been exposed to the virus at a Fayetteville, North Carolina Olive Garden. More Ig shots will be given in the coming week. Here is a sampler of restaurants that wished they had invested in Hepatitis A prevention:
- Carl’s Jr. Hepatitis A Outbreak – Washington
- Chi-Chi’s Hepatitis A Outbreak – Pennsylvania
- Chipotle Grill Hepatitis A – San Diego, California
- D’Angelo’s Deli Hepatitis A Outbreak – Massachusetts
- Friendly’s Hepatitis A Exposure – Massachusetts
- Houlihan’s Hepatitis A Exposure – Illinois
- Maple Lawn Dairy Hepatitis A Outbreak – New York
- McDonald’s Hepatitis A Outbreak – Washington
- McDonald’s Hepatitis A Outbreak – Quad-Cities, Illinois
- Quizno’s Hepatitis A Exposure – Massachusetts
- Soleil Produce Hepatitis A Outbreak – California
- Subway Hepatitis A Outbreak – Washington
- Taco Bell Hepatitis A Outbreak – Florida
My guess is that Olive Garden will feel much like these restaurants did – eventually. Just one ill person cost one restaurant above over $6 Million.