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Fourth Area Restaurant Worker Tests Positive For Hepatitis A

The Lee's where the employee works is at 6805 Burlington Pike.
Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken
The Lee's where the employee works is at 6805 Burlington Pike.

An employee of the Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken in Florence is the latest food service worker to test positive for hepatitis A. The Northern Kentucky Health Department says the employee was infectious while working on August 25 and 26.

However, an investigation found the employee did not have bare-hand contact with food items and that classifies him or her as low risk.

The Health Department did not find violations directly related to poor hygienic practices related to the investigation. Guidance from the Kentucky Department for Public Health and Centers for Disease Control considers transmission to patrons to be unlikely under these conditions.

A news release says that since January 2018, 67 cases of hepatitis A have been reported in Northern Kentucky. For the state overall, the total reaches 1,495.

Other restaurants where workers tested positive were the Newport Syndicate, the Miami Township Taco Bell and the Owenton McDonalds.

The Northern Kentucky Health Department, in it's four county jurisdiction of Boone, Campbell, Grant and Kenton, doesn't require restaurant workers to be vaccinated against hepatitis A but strongly encourages it.

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With more than 30 years of journalism experience in the Greater Cincinnati market, Ann Thompson brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her reporting. She has reported for WKRC, WCKY, WHIO-TV, Metro Networks and CBS/ABC Radio. Her work has been recognized by the Associated Press and the Society of Professional Journalists. In 2019 and 2011 A-P named her “Best Reporter” for large market radio in Ohio. She has won awards from the Association of Women in Communications and the Alliance for Women in Media. Ann reports regularly on science and technology in Focus on Technology.