NORTH FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — Georgia health officials are putting restaurants on alert after a hepatitis A outbreak has made more than 300 people sick this year, nearly 100 of them in the last month.
Officials are calling Fulton County and northwest Georgia "hotspots" for new cases.
Channel 2 Action News has learned that some of those cases involved restaurant workers. The highlycontagious liver disease is usually transmitted through contaminated food and drink.
Channel 2's Carol Sbarge learned what steps they are taking to keep restaurant patrons safe.
The Georgia Restaurant Association recently sent a letter statewide reminding restaurant employees about the rules regarding handwashing after using the restroom and not touching food without gloves.
Officials said only a few restaurant workers have been linked to the outbreak, so the risk is minimal. Officials said safety measures in restaurants keep the risk of transmission of diseases like hepatitis A low.
"We don't think of food workers as posing a widespread risk at all to the public," one official said.
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Still, frequent restaurant diners Lindsey and Luke Roushdi said they are taking the warning seriously and will try to notice if workers are wearing gloves when they eat out.
"I've actually worked in the back in food service, and so I know how important that is, but I guess behind the counters, unless you lean over and look, you don't really see it," Luke said.
"Honestly, it's something I'll think about if we eat out this weekend," Lindsay said.
Cox Media Group
