FOODBORNE HEPATITIS-A INFECTION - REPORT OF 2 URBAN RESTAURANT-ASSOCIATED OUTBREAKS

The cities of Portland, Oregon [USA], and Buffalo, New York [USA], experienced restaurant-associated foodborne outbreaks of viral hepatitis type A during 1975. Although there were several food handlers ill with virus hepatitis A in each restaurant involved, each outbreak was the apparent result of food contamination by a single food handler. In the Buffalo outbreak, food contamination was documented to have occurred for a brief period of time 6 days prior to onset of any symptoms in the index case. These outbreaks point out the uncommon occurrence of food contamination by individuals ill with type A viral hepatitis, the usefulness of 2 types of food questionnaires in identifying the vehicle(s) of transmission, and the apparent lack of benefit of widespread immune serum globulin administration as a control measure in this setting.