Infected McDonald's Employee May Have Spread Hepatitis To Customers

mcds — A McDonald's employee may have spread hepatitis A to customers in Kentucky. Pictured above are a McDonald's burger and french fries. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

There may or may not be health risks associated with eating McDonald's and other fast food, but at least most customers know what they are getting into when they walk into one of the chain’s many locations. However, some customers in Kentucky may have unknowingly been exposed to a strand of hepatitis due to an infected employee recently, as reported by WYMT, a CBS affiliate in the area.

An employee who directly handled food at a Berea, Kentucky, McDonald's location could have potentially served hepatitis-infected food to customers on March 23. The overall risk level is thought to be exceedingly low, as it was a single employee working a single day at the restaurant.

Still, that McDonald's location is working with state and local authorities to figure out exactly what happened. John Faris, who owns that McDonald's branch, defended the restaurant's reputation and emphasized its commitment to safety.

"We are committed to providing a clean and safe environment for all who visit our restaurant and received a 100% score on our most recent health inspection,” Faris said, per WYMT.

Hepatitis is a form of liver inflammation with a few different, common variations, according to the Center for Disease Control. Hepatitis A is less heinous than B or C, but can be spread by consuming food or drinks with trace amounts of infected fecal matter in them. That is slightly different from hepatitis B and C, which are spread through sex, sharing needles and other means. That said, A can still be transmitted sexually.

If an infected food handler at a popular fast food restaurant touched food without sufficiently washing their hands, it could spread to customers. Fever, vomiting, and joint pain are just a few of the symptoms of hepatitis A.

The main form of hepatitis A prevention is a vaccine, first introduced in 1995. Otherwise, good hygiene will act as an effective deterrent.

Madison County health officials said anyone who ate at that McDonald's on March 23 should be on the lookout for symptoms until about May 12. McDonald's shares dropped a bit on Thursday following the announcement, according to Bloomberg.