Hepatitis Outbreak Affects 410;
Interviews With Infected Continue

Nov. 13, 2003
By JOE MANDAK
The Associated Press

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The toll of those infected by a hepatitis A outbreak at a restaurant climbed to 410 on Thursday, as state health officials continued to interview each victim for clues about how the virus spread.

Those infected are being interviewed individually by Health Department officials about when, what and how much they ate at a Chi-Chi's restaurant in the Beaver Valley Mall that's believed to be the source of the sickness.

Because officials can't pinpoint the cause, Louisville, Ky.-based Chi-Chi's has agreed to keep the restaurant closed until Jan. 2 — two months after the restaurant voluntarily closed after the initial reports of the disease.

Through Thursday, 31 people infected were known to be from Ohio, eight from West Virginia, one from Florida and one from South Carolina. Although not all 410 had been interviewed, the rest of those who had been were from Pennsylvania — including 280 from Beaver County, said Health Department spokesman Richard McGarvey.

"That kind of illustrates the center of where it's all at," McGarvey said. "But there's still no source."

McGarvey said the only real anomaly at this point is one person who reported being infected after eating at the restaurant Sept. 20 — eight days before any of the other cases.

"That one's kind of hanging out there by itself. That's certainly something we're interested in, but we don't have an explanation for it right now," he said.

Infectious disease experts say finding the source of the outbreak can be challenging because hepatitis A has a long incubation period, meaning the virus could be spread to many places before it's detected. Pennsylvania health officials didn't begin warning the public until Nov. 3.

The disease can be spread by an infected person who doesn't wash his hands before handling food, eating utensils or even ice used in drinks. It can also be spread on uncooked foods, like green onions, which are being scrutinized along with other foods as part of the investigation, which involves the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and is being monitored by the Food and Drug Administration.

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