Lettuce the Likely Culprit in New Hepatitis A Cases (Mexifornia lettuce!)

LA Times ^ | 12/2/05 | Rong-Gong Lin II, Times Staff Writer

[BurbankKarl]

Health officials on Thursday identified lettuce as the likely source for a hepatitis A outbreak in Los Angeles County and urged residents to thoroughly wash the vegetable before eating it.

At least 60 people have fallen ill from the virus in Los Angeles County over the last three months. Officials are concerned because the outbreak comes after years of declining hepatitis A cases, but they have been unable to link the outbreak to a particular farm or type of lettuce.

There were at least two outbreaks: one in a downtown Los Angeles restaurant in September that affected 13; the other at an event catered by a Hollywood company in October where 19 fell ill. The other cases were scattered.

Officials would not identify the specific locations of the outbreaks, saying there is no ongoing risk at those sites.

"We believe lettuce was the problem in these events," said Dr. Jonathan Fielding, public health director for Los Angeles County.

"This is a problem that deserves real attention, and people eating in a restaurant should ask if the produce is being cleaned carefully."

Fielding added that consumers should wash even salads that are packaged and labeled as washed. Packaged lettuce has been linked to E. coli outbreaks, including a case this fall involving salads packaged by a division of Westlake Village-based Dole Food Co. in Salinas, Calif. The salads sickened more than a dozen people in Minnesota.

Officials had initially observed an increase in hepatitis A in homeless patients in the downtown Los Angeles area, although those numbers are dropping, said Dr. Laurene Mascola, director of the county's acute communicable disease control unit.

The county has observed declining hepatitis A rates since 1999, when health officials began advising that children be vaccinated against the disease.

[kitkat]

***Wow. Not a word about halting imports from the source in order to protect the public. ***

EXACTLY! That's the crux of the story, and they left it out.

Also, I loved the part where they said to ask the server in the restaurant if they wash their lettuce carefully. Can you picture the server saying, "Oh, NO, we don't."

[Oatka]

"This is a problem that deserves real attention, and people eating in a restaurant should ask if the produce is being cleaned carefully."

Stating the blindly obvious and giving out useless advice. Like the restaurant is going to tell you they don't clean their produce.

About a year ago two of my elderly fresh-veggies-only neighbors came down with some kind of stomach disorder. None of the docs could figure out what it was until one guy discovered they had a parasite. "First time I've seen this since I was in the Peace Corps." Took three months of $360 a month medicine to clear it up.

[1rudeboy]

One can get Hep A from "non-infected" human waste, though the term itself makes me want to burst out in laughter, and surmise that you are not familiar with the field of medicine.

[MizSterious]

I don't know about into the product, just that if you wash them (preferable adding a little clorox to the water), they're much safer. I think most of the bactera/viruses, etc. are on the outside of the veggies. The general rule is to be especially careful with things like celery, onions, lettuce etc. because they grow close to the ground (where the fertilzer is) and it's harder to keep sand, grit and bad fertilizer out of the veggies. You've seen it on these things when you buy them at the supermarket--or you notice the grit on them if you have your own garden (presumably not using human waste as fertilizer).

[capecodderathome]

The article says,
"This is a problem that deserves real attention, and people eating in a restaurant should ask if the produce is being cleaned carefully."

Yeah, right. As if the restaurant is going to say no? A typical bureaucratic suggestion.

Strange, how they won't identify the location of the dirty lettuce.

Richard

[azhenfud]

'Ol Danny Boy keeps his best in quarantine for seven years.

[MizSterious]

Where would you suggest we import these things from? Do you realize that we have "guest workers" (gag, hate that term) in virtually every state in the union? Are you aware that using human waste as a fertilizer is common in the countries these gw's come from, and that they continue the "custom" here in this country? Are you possibly aware that hepatitis a and b are relatively common in the "3rd world"?

[1rudeboy]

Strange, how they won't identify the location of the dirty lettuce.

Because they CANNOT. It's impossible.

[Sacajaweau]

I'm 62 and weigh the same (100 lbs) as I did when I was 17...and three children, too.

[EggsAckley]

"........people eating in a restaurant should ask if the produce is being cleaned carefully."


Yeah, like they're gonna answer, "well, no, it's not being cleaned carefully."

[BurbankKarl]

How does one say this in Spanish?



>>>"........people eating in a restaurant should ask if the produce is being cleaned carefully."

[DumpsterDiver]

Not a word about halting imports from the source in order to protect the public.

Here's a bit more:

State health officials are working to track down the source of the contaminated lettuce in this year's outbreak. In the meantime, the best thing you can do — short of getting a hepatitis A vaccination — is to wash the lettuce.

With lettuce, some people "throw it in a colander, and swish water around — that's not going to be effective." A better idea, officials said, is to rinse the lettuce in cool water. Using a brush may also be more effective.

I think I'll stick with my home grown stuff (lettuce, that is).

[hispanarepublicana]

There used to be a Mexican restaurant here in the Hub whose marketing slogan was "So authentic, you won't want to drink the water!"

[RedMonqey]

From what I understand is the "fertilizer" is liquidfyed and sprayed over the produce thus fertilizing and watering at the same time.

Perhaps someone with direct knowledge can provide better info.

[GOP_1900AD]

Realistically, even a good cold water wash will so greatly reduce the bacterial count by cavitation (e.g. mechanicl removal from the substrate) that only people with badly compromised immune systems would ever stand a change of getting infected. It's all about probability.

[Becker32]

You can't get Hep C from lettuce. Hep C is only transmitted from blood-to-blood contact.

[kitkat]

***Where would you suggest we import these things from? Do you realize that we have "guest workers" (gag, hate that term) in virtually every state in the union? Are you aware that using human waste as a fertilizer is common in the countries these gw's come from, and that they continue the "custom" here in this country? Are you possibly aware that hepatitis a and b are relatively common in the "3rd world"?***

HEY, wait a minute! I'm on YOUR side. Did you respond to me by mistake?

[markman46]

the perper's and servers need to better wash the hands

[tiki]

The article didn't actually say that the lettuce came from California. It said it was packaged in Salinas, CA.

I live on a main highway from Mexico and I'll never forget the first time I saw trucks from Mexico with boxes that said "Washington Apples".

[Becker32]

One CANNOT get Hep A from "non-infected" human waste. Since Hep A is transmitted from fecal-oral contact, the feces must have the Hepatitis A virus present in order for you to be infected.