Restaurant’s Workers Have TB Tests After Employee Dies

Source: The INDY Channel

Subhead: Health Department: No Danger Of Food Contamination

MT. COMFORT, Ind. — Health department workers administered tuberculosis tests to employees of a McDonald’s restaurant Monday after a co-worker tested positive for the disease and died.

The person who died worked at the McDonald’s off Interstate 70’s Mt. Comfort Road exit in western Hancock County. She tested positive for tuberculosis at the time of her death, 6News’ Derrik Thomas reported.

Dr. Ray Haas of the Hancock County Health Department said customers of that McDonald’s shouldn’t be concerned about the food or drinks that the worker had handled.

“There should be no real danger unless somebody was really in real direct contact with the person for an extended period of time,” Haas said. “There is certainly no danger from eating as far as any type of food or drink contamination or anything like that.”

Employees of the restaurant received shots there Monday. The restaurant’s owner said he is cooperating fully with health department officials.

The restaurant will continue to operate, and it was doing brisk business Monday, Thomas reported.

Justin Carder, who said he worked at the restaurant with the infected employee until he left in October, said he is trying to determine whether he will get a free test like the current McDonald’s workers.

“A colleague of mine is still an employee at McDonald’s, and he had informed me to get myself checked out (because) I worked with her,” Carder said. “I called the health department to see if I was on any list there to be tested for free, and as of right now, they don’t know if I’m on the list.”

Tuberculosis is a disease in which a certain type of bacteria attacks part of the body — often the lungs — according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If not treated properly, the disease can be fatal.

I have learned via email that One Old Vet has an unconfirmed report that this individual was an illegal alien. IFIRE members will be following up at the restaurant and may have video for this weeks blogburst.

It's possible I've gone 'round the bend, but I would have sworn when I took the federal sanitation class that they told us you could pass TB that way. It's been several years so I can't be certain, but I have a pretty good memory and that's how I recall it anyhow.

***UPDATE***

In comments Zorro confirms the story, according to the CDC you cannot catch TB this way.

He sez: It does seem it cannot be passed in food or utensils but it is airborne. The other workers are more at risk but I still would worry if I had been sharing air with a TB-infected person.

A little tip from chef Jake? They change these things all the time. Every time you took the sanitation class they would completely reverse something they had taught the year before, I crap you negative, so don't put too much stock in this. There is nothing racist or nativist in asking for a clean and sanitary restaurant to eat in, even a 1% chance of catching TB in a place you stopped to get a burger is too high in my book!

Oh, and when we would ask why the warnings and regulations had changed, the answer? It was political! This ain't just white lab coat wearing weenies slaving over a hot science stove, you would be astonished how much of this is politically driven.

H/T Cheree

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