AN OUTBREAK OF HEPATITIS-A ASSOCIATED WITH A BAKERY, NEW-YORK, 1994 -THE 1968 WEST BRANCH, MICHIGAN OUTBREAK REPEATED

In a community hepatitis A outbreak in the Rochester, New York area, 6 4 of 79 (81%) people with anti-hepatitis A IgM-antibodies and onset of symptoms from 3 April-31 May 1994, recalled eating food obtained from a retail buyer's club. Eleven (65%) of 17 households with cases conta ined club members compared with 7 (21%) of 34 neighbourhood-matched co ntrol-households (matched odds ratio 8.5; 95% CI 1.7-41.6). Club emplo yees who ate sugar-glazed baked goods were at fourfold increased risk for hepatitis, The source of infection was an IgM-positive baker who c ontaminated baked goods while applying sugar glaze. Computer-generated purchase lists implicated 11-12 March and 21-24 March as the most lik ely dates when contamination occurred. This investigation demonstrates the importance of food workers adhering to established hygiene practi ces. Computer-generated commercial datasets can be useful in epidemiol ogic investigations.