Serving around 68 million customers daily across 35,000 outlets in 119 countries, McDonald's is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants. (Photo : Reuters/Maxim Shemetov )
The operator of a McDonald's restaurant on Mound Road in Waterloo in Seneca County, New York, was sued by a customer because diners were exposed to food and drinks prepared by a food worker with the hepatitis A virus, which causes contagious liver infections.
If a food worker with hepatitis A failed to wash his or her hands after going to the bathroom, food, drinks, dishes and utensils could be contaminated. The plaintiff Christopher Welch filed the lawsuit against Jascor Inc. on Nov. 18, Wednesday, in New York state court in Seneca County seeking class-action status for potentially affected customers, which could be more than 1,000, Reuters reported.
On Nov. 13, the Seneca County Health Department confirmed a case of hepatitis A in a food service worker at the McDonald's restaurant in Waterloo. Instead of McDonald's Corp, franchisees operate most McDonald's restaurants.
According to public health officials, diners had a low risk of contracting liver infections. On the other hand, those who were not previously vaccinated against hepatitis A and had consumed food or drinks from the McDonald's restaurant in Waterloo on Nov. 2, 3, 5, 6 and 8 were urged to consider treatments.
Jascor Inc., the owner of the McDonald's restaurant on Mound Road in Waterloo, has yet to issue a comment about the lawsuit filed by Welch.
The lawsuit claims that Welch, a Waterloo resident, bought and consumed products from the McDonald's restaurant in Waterloo on at least one day when the infected worker was on duty.
Welch was among the people treated as part of the Seneca County Health Department's screening clinics set up following the reported exposure to hepatitis A, according to CNY Central.
