LOS ANGELES Health officials here are considering a proposal to require all employees of the county's estimated 25,000 restaurants to be vaccinated against hepatitis A.
County supervisors reportedly asked health officials to study the costs and benefits of such a policy following news that a prep cook for Wolfgang Puck Catering was diagnosed with the illness and may have exposed guests at a catered event in February. Similar incidents have also been reported at city restaurants and another catering firm earlier this year.
Restaurant operators say the vaccine, which is thought to cost about $200 per person, is too expensive for them to provide to every employee. And some doctors assert the vaccine would give employers a false sense of security. Although the vaccines might prevent an employee from falling ill, they explain, the disease could still be spread as a result of poor hygiene.