Attorneys Call for Mandatory hepatitis-A Vaccinations for all Foodservice Workers
November 4 2003
SEATTLE, WA—The attorneys at Marler Clark, the Seattle law firm nationally known for its successful representation of victims of foodborne illness, have been contacted by several victims of the hepatitis-A outbreak linked to the Chi Chi’s restaurant located in the Beaver Valley Mall, Monaca, Beaver County, during the month of October. Concerned restaurant-goers who dined at the restaurant through November 2 have also contacted the attorneys with questions regarding immune globulin shots they have been encouraged to get to avoid infection.
“This outbreak provides further support for mandatory hepatitis-A vaccinations for all foodservice workers,” said Andy Weisbecker, attorney with Marler Clark. “It seems that a month hardly passes without another warning from a health department somewhere that people should go to their doctor, or troop down to their local public health clinic, to get a shot of immune globulin to protect against this preventable infection.”
“At some point, if the industry does not act and vaccinate food workers on its own, it is going to face mandatory regulations that will require them to do so, because absent vaccinations and an effective and rigorous hand washing policy, there will be many more outbreaks,” added Weisbecker.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that 125,000 – 200,000 cases of hepatitis-A occur in the United States every year, and at least five-percent of these cases are related to foodborne transmission. In 1999, over 10,000 people were hospitalized due to hepatitis-A infections and 83 people died. Although the CDC has not yet called for mandatory vaccination of food service workers, it has repeatedly pointed out that the consumption of worker-contaminated food is a major cause of food borne illness in the United States.
BACKGROUND: Marler Clark has achieved great success representing hepatitis-A victims of outbreaks across the country. The firm obtained a $1.06 million settlement on behalf of 29 persons who were infected with hepatitis-A after eating contaminated food at two Seattle Subway Sandwich franchises. Marler Clark has also represented victims who became ill with hepatitis-A after eating at a Carl’s Jr. restaurant in Spokane, Washington, three restaurants in Northwest Arkansas, a large wedding party in Michigan, which resulted in a death, a Taco Bell outlet in Florida, and at a deli in Massachusetts. The firm has been recently contacted by victims of a recent outbreak in Georgia that was linked to contaminated green onions.
For more information, see http://www.about-hepatitis.com and http://www.hepatitislitigation.com.