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Shots Given in Illinois McDonald's Hepatitis Outbreak

By PritzkerLaw

More than a thousand people in northwestern Illinois  have been vaccinated to help contain the McDonald's hepatitis outbreak that health officials suspect was caused by two McDonald's employees who were sick with hepatitis A in Milan, Illinois, and continued to work.

The free vaccination clinic is located in makeshift quarters at Rock Island High School, staffed with Illinois state epidemiologists and about 150 volunteers. People under the age of 40 are receiving a vaccination while those older than 40 receive the drug immune globulin.

The Rock Island County Health Department has confirmed 20 cases in the NW Illinois hepatitis outbreak. Of those, 11 people were hospitalized. Officials have said 14 of the confirmed cases are in Rock Island County, with the remainder in outlying counties.

One of those sickened in the hepatitis A outbreak is a worker at a Milan daycare center known as Just Kids. The health department ordered the daycare closed and scrubbed down. It is located one mile away from the McDonald's.

The Milan McDonald's closed for parts of three days for a micro-cleaning. Kevin Murphy, the owner, said in a statement that he was first notified July 13  that hepatitis may be affecting his restaurant. He said he closed the store two days later.

The vaccination center is set up to handle up to 5,000 vaccinations. Any customers of the Milan McDonald's who ate there July 6-10 or July 13-14 are encouraged to get vaccinated.

The disease is primarily spread in fecal-oral transmission by infected restaurant employees who don't wash their hands after using the toilet.

National food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen Attorneys is urging those people who may have become exposed to the disease to get shots. Founder and president Fred Pritzker has called on McDonald's to immediately pay for the vaccinations and for short-term financial expenses and costs.

Restaurants are  liable to patrons for illnesses, including hepatitis, caused by food provided by the restaurant. This means the Milan McDonald's may be liable for compensation claims made by people who ate there and became sickened with hepatitis A. Conceivably, compensation could include:

• Medical expenses
• Lost income
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress
• Disability
• Loss of quality of life

If you or a loved one has been sickened with hepatitis A, please contact our law firm by dialing 1-888-377-8900 (toll free). We have considerable experience representing victims of hepatitis A. If you prefer writing to us, fill out one of our forms online and submit it to us for a free case consultation. 

Full post as published by Food Poisoning Law Blog on July 22, 2009 (boomark / email).