Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
Hepatitis A outbreak
Buncombe County public health officials have confirmed two cases of Hepatitis A in Asheville, including one person who worked at Trevi Pasta Seafood & Pizza restaurant in Biltmore Village. Carolyn “Little Red” Ryan said that means that anyone who ate at the restaurant from Aug. 17 to Aug. 25 needs to get a globulin shot in the ass. The health center will give out the shots this afternoon and Wednesday afternoon, Ryan said, between 3 and 7 p.m.
Ryan talked to the owner of the popular restaurant, who said he’s doing everything he can to cooperate with health officials. The infected worker doesn’t work at the restaurant any more. The owner shut down on Monday by pasting a “closed for repairs” sign on the door, but the restaurant plans to re-open today.
Ryan said the restaurant has always received “extremely high” inspection ratings, though the sign behind the owner in the interview said 96.5, which isn’t extreme. Ryan also explained that the virus can spread easily and is found in the feces of the infected person – that person doesn’t properly wash hands, and the virus can be ingested by others. The virus can cause fever, nausea and yellow skin.
Back at the anchor desk, Larry “Smoka” Blunt had the good history that anyone who has lived in Ashvegas knows by heart: Doc Chey’s and the Laughing Seed restaurant had a worker who was infected with Hep A back in 2003, and some 3,000 people came to health center (including yours truly) to get a shot in the butt. In 1999, La Paz experienced the problem. But everyone recalls that Laurie’s Catering in 1998 had a worker with Hep A, and the community really rallied around her and educated itself about the whole situation.
Back in the day, a Hep A scare could shut a restuarant down. Not anymore. Just get the shot. And restaurant workers – wash your damn hands after you use the bathroom. Sheesh.
In other news…
The police chief in Columbus in Polk County has been charged with several counts of statutory rape. Chris Abril is the Democratic candidate for sheriff of Polk County this November… Charges were dropped against John Mark Karr, the guy they brought back from Thailand to faces charges of killing JonBenet Ramsey… Andie MacDowell tells some English gossip rag that she would love to live in England, fueling rumors that Andie would be moving away from Ashvegas… A guy who moved from Vermont to McDowell County was charged with not registering as a sex offender… There’s a murder trial on in Rutherford County. The guy is charged with shooting his wife to death… Michelle Boudin was on the case of some convicted child molester who will be resentenced because an appeals court said his punishment was incorrect… Susan Mundy talked to a UNCA assistant professor who said the hurricane season’s not over yet… And Sheraldo says the apple harvest is on and the crop is beautiful. He talked to one farmer who said the weather conditions were perfect, which caused the sugar to rise in his apples and make them the sweetest he’s had.
But, whoever let the soap run out hasn’t replenished it–and for how long has the dispenser been empty? Who knows?
Either way, I guess basing your restaurant choices on soap in the bathrooms is a bit OCD.
EM, wouldn’t it be the opposite? No soap means the workers are washing their hands like crazy, thus a safe place to eat?
I know a guy who always checks that there is soap in the bathrooms before he eats in a restaurant. He figures that if there is no soap, the staff aren’t washing their hands properly, and eating there is a bad idea.