Hepatitis A Outbreak Linked to Beaver County Restaurant

November 2003

Green onions grown in Mexico have been implicated as the source of a devastating outbreak of hepatitis A served at a Beaver County Chi-Chi’s restaurant. The source was not immediately evident because 12 food handlers from the restaurant were infected at the same time patrons began to fall sick from food poisoning.

Over 600 cases of hepatitis A have been linked to the Pennsylvania restaurant. According to authorities, it could take as few as two cases of green onions to result in an outbreak of such proportions. Because the scallions are not cooked before they are used in many dishes prepared at the restaurant, the hepatitis A virus could easily travel from the packing process to the kitchen of Chi-Chi’s to the plates of patrons.

Unlike other forms of the disease, hepatitis A is transferred primarily through contaminated food. There is no official cure for Hepatitis A. Rather, sufferers should avoid fatty foods, avoid alcohol, eat a balanced diet, and stay hydrated.

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