Back in the days of high school and part of college, one of my many part-time jobs was working at Dunkin Donuts. I have to say wholeheartedly that Dunkin Donuts does a phenomenal job at teaching crew members about food safety and emphasizing the dire importance of making sure customers and employees do not become ill -- whether it's from Hepatitis A, Salmonella, E.coli or any other foodborne illness.

Dunkin Donuts has daily log books and various checks to make sure that all milk products, meat products, and just about everything else in a fridge or freezer is kept at the precise temperature to ensure safety. My store manager happened to be married to the store's franchisee, so I think there was extra diligence in making sure that the store was clean as a whistle and that it operated like a well-oiled machine.

To my dismay, I went to a Dunkin Donuts last Sunday afternoon to get an iced coffee and quick snack and discovered something putrid. I was on my way to the nail salon to get my regular gel fill. I was about 3/4 of the way done with my iced coffee and then decided to take a bite of the strawberry frosted donut I picked out. At first, when I reached into the brown paper bag, I thought the smell was just the acrylic & acetone fumes that all nail salons have. I broke off a small piece of the donut (which is the way I typically eat them), and popped it in my mouth only to instantly discover that it tasted like rotten sour milk. I had to awkwardly turn my head and spit it out into a napkin, trying to be as discreet as possible while waiting for my nail technician to call me over to her bench. It was absolutely disgusting!

Now, I'm not hating on Dunkin Donuts, because again, I've worked there and know that just about every store has strict rules on temperature logs and expiration date checks. Perhaps it was just this one location that happened to have some bad dairy products mixed into their baked goods that day.

I'm not saying that this store had donuts contaminated with Hepatitis A or anything else specifically (if anything, it probably would have been something like Salmonella), but I do know from hearing the stories from some of my plasma donors who have contracted Hepatitis A, that unclean food preparation is definitely a leading factor in the spread of the infection.





Hepatitis A can be found often in unclean water or around food that has come in contact with a server who hasn't washed his or her hands. The virus is very contagious and can spread quickly, leading to outbreaks in communities like Fayetteville, NC or Lubbock, TX.

I learned just recently that a restaurant employee in Allentown, PA has tested positive for the virus and now the community is urging people to get vaccinated to prevent a Hepatitis A outbreak similar to the ones we've seen in the news over the past couple of months.

http://www.foodpoisonjournal.com/foodborne-illness-outbreaks/hepatitis-a-warning-issued-for-patrons-of-pasta-alla-rosa-restaurant-in-allentown-pa/

So how can you prevent Hepatitis A?
1. Get vaccinated
2. Common sense hygiene Hands should be washed with soap and water following bowel movements and before food preparation.

You can't really prevent how diligent a restaurant waiter is about washing his or her hands, or whether or not you'll be served food that came in contact with unwashed hands. You can go ahead and read all the restaurant reviews you want on Yelp, but there will still always be a chance that you could have a one-off encounter with something contaminated, just like I had a one-off experience with a foul donut from my favorite coffee chain. No matter how much food safety is taught to employees, you could still come in contact with something that could make you ill.


So what do you do? The solution is NOT to stay at home and never eat out anywhere. I mean come on...you have to be realistic. The best way to prevent it is to go out and get vaccinated.

That's right,

The best way to prevent Hepatitis A -- Get Vaccinated!




Some of my plasma donors tell me that they either don't see a doctor regularly or they do not have health insurance, so getting a vaccine is out of the question. But when there is an outbreak, many clinics and communities will offer the Hepatitis A vaccine for free.

Check it out for yourself. That is exactly what happened in Lubbock, TX with their recent Hep A outbreak: http://www.kcbd.com/story/15472266/free-hep-a-vaccinations-available-friday

Vaccinations are not as hard to come by as you may think. If you have heard of someone in your town who has tested positive for the Hepatitis A virus, you should check with your local clinic or doctor to see if you can get a vaccine. Even some Walgreens and CVS drugstore locations will offer the vaccines at the pharmacy. If it becomes a community concern, they may make vaccinations available to everyone in a public location.

So what if you've already been vaccinated but know someone who has the illness? Or what if you've already tested positive for Hepatitis A and are just starting to feel ill? Did you know that there's a way you can help improve the medical research community to create better vaccines and better treatments?

SeraCare Life Sciences is currently looking for people recently diagnosed with Hepatitis A to donate plasma so that we can do just that. By donating your plasma, you will help others who have been diagnosed with Hepatitis A and can even contribute to making Hepatitis A easier to prevent. We pay $500 or more per one hour donation and there are locations worldwide. Travel expenses (if any needed), are also paid for upfront and most of all your participation helps to make a difference.

Know someone who has Hepatitis A? If you refer them to us and they participate in donating, we will pay you $200 as a referral bonus. Check out the signs & symptoms of Hepatitis A below. If you test positive or have a friend who tested positive and would like to help research, visit http://www.seracare.com/WeNeedPlasmaDonors/tabid/120/Default.aspx


(aka www.idonateplasma.com)


Hepatitis A Signs & Symptoms:

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hepatitis_A

Early symptoms of hepatitis A infection can be mistaken for influenza, but some sufferers, especially children, exhibit no symptoms at all. Symptoms typically appear 2 to 6 weeks, (the incubation period), after the initial infection.[7]

Symptoms usually last less than 2 months, although some people can be ill for as long as 6 months.:[8]

Fatigue
Fever
Abdominal pain
Nausea
Appetite loss
Jaundice, a yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes
Bile is removed from blood stream and excreted in urine, giving it a dark amber colour
Clay-coloured feces

TREATMENT

There is no specific treatment for hepatitis A. Sufferers are advised to rest, avoid fatty foods and alcohol (these may be poorly tolerated for some additional months during the recovery phase and cause minor relapses), eat a well-balanced diet, and stay hydrated.