MONACA, PA. Hepatitis A outbreak limits blood donations

Varying limits apply to people linked to a hepatitis A outbreak.
By LAURE CIOFFI
VINDICATOR NEW CASTLE BUREAU
MONACA, Pa. -- Patrons at Chi-Chi's in the Beaver Valley Mall here last month are now restricted from donating blood.
A release from the American Red Cross stated that anyone who ate at the restaurant from Oct. 1 through Nov. 1 will be restricted from donating blood for the next year.
State health officials said Monday there are now 240 confirmed cases of hepatitis A that have been linked to the restaurant. A 38-year-old Aliquippa, Pa., man died over the weekend of complications from the disease.
The hepatitis A outbreak started earlier this month, and doctors soon realized all of the victims had eaten at Chi-Chi's, located inside the mall, about 45 miles southeast of Youngstown.
State health officials set up clinics to immunize those who had eaten at the restaurant during the last two weeks of October.
Those who received immunizations are also barred from donating blood for 12 months from the date of their shot.
"Our No. 1 priority is to ensure the safest blood supply possible," said Thomas S. Angle, chief executive officer of the American Red Cross Greater Alleghenies Region.
Those with disease
Anyone who contracts hepatitis A is restricted from giving blood indefinitely, said Rebecca Parsons, Red Cross spokeswoman.
"We are regulated by the [Food and Drug Administration]. They say these people can be deferred indefinitely," she said.
Although blood donations are out, people who contracted hepatitis A are still eligible to donate organs once their infection has cleared, said Richard McGarvey, spokesman for the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
McGarvey said the state is still monitoring the number of cases, which include 26 from Ohio, 23 of those in nearby Columbiana County. He said they have not seen any secondary cases of hepatitis A involving people who later came in contact with those who dined at the restaurant.
Officials think an already infected employee of the restaurant failed to wash his or her hands after using the toilet.