McDonald’s Food Found to be Tainted with Hepatitis A
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Fast food is an extremely popular choice for the busy people in today’s society. After all, who wants to return home to cook the family dinner after being stuck in an office all day? We all know that it’s not the healthiest choice, but it is affordable and quick. Many people may be able to fight the urge to stop by the local fast food chain once they catch wind of the latest virus outbreak in one of America’s most popular restaurants.
McDonald’s has been linked to at least 20 cases of hepatitis A in Milan, Illinois. Thousands of people who ate at this restaurant are at risk for contracting the virus. People from five different counties have confirmed their illnesses as hepatitis A, making this a very dangerous outbreak.
The exact cause for the spread of the virus is still under investigation. However, it is known that an employee who was working at the restaurant had been diagnosed with hepatitis A during months prior. This particular employee was permitted to continue working as a food handler for 7 days, allowing the virus to spread. Another employee also contracted the disease in June. The owner of the franchise, Kevin Murphy, denied that anyone knowingly ill worked at the restaurant once he was notified of the problem. He stated that he learned of the cases from the Rock Island County Health Department.
Illinois public health officials gave immunizations on July 20th and 21st to those who believed that they may have been exposed to the virus. The hepatitis A vaccination, as well as an immune globulin immunization was administered at no charge to those who ate at the McDonald’s Restaurant in Milan, Illinois between July 6th to July 10th or July 13th and 14th. People under the age of one, and over the age of 40 were given the immune globulin treatment. This shot is full of an antibody-rich substance that is meant to prevent the virus from affecting the body. All other ages were given the hepatitis A vaccine.
For additional information about the McDonald’s hepatitis A outbreak in Illinois, click on the following links:
http://www.foodpoisoning.com/news_archives.php?idnews=310 or http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/07/hepatitis-a-outbreak-probed-in-western-illinois.html.
The vaccinations are extremely important to the health of the public. Hepatitis A is a serious virus that is transmitted by hand to hand contact with someone who does not practice good hygiene. It can also be spread by consuming food or beverage that was handled by an infected person. Some people may unknowingly mistake their sudden illness as a stint with the flu or food poisoning.
Symptoms of hepatitis A include but are not limited to fatigue, abdominal pain, nausea, poor appetite, vomiting and fever. Jaundice and darkened urine are also common signs of the infection. Although the virus is active in the body immediately after contact, the symptoms may not appear until 15 to 50 days after initial exposure. The potential to infect others is present even if the carrier demonstrates no symptoms at all. Information on the virus can be accessed through: http://www.about-hepatitis.com/.
Each year, approximately 30-50,000 cases of hepatitis A are reported in the United States. A blood test is needed to diagnose the hepatitis A infection. At the current time there is no medication or treatment available to fight it. Most people who have been infected will recover completely and never contract the virus again.
On the other hand, about 15% of those infected will have either prolonged or relapsing symptoms over a period of six to nine months. Around 12% of people who are infected with the virus are hospitalized. Another percentage of people will experience liver swelling, which may cause lasting damage. Death has been reported on some occasions due to acute liver failure. In 2007, 100 people died from complications surrounding the virus.
The direct and indirect cost of this illness exceeded $300 million in 2007. This figure combined both work days missed and medical bills. Each person infected missed an average of 27 days of work.
Ironically, all of these illnesses and deaths could have been easy prevented with proper hygiene. You may want to think twice before you decide to swing by your local McDonald’s for a quick bite. A home cooked meal may be the smarter decision not only for your health, but for your safety as well.