Hispanic demands Denny’s chain for hepatitis

Miami

A Florida Latino filed a negligence lawsuit against Denny’s national chain after getting hepatitis A after eating at one of his restaurants in Kissimmee, in Osceola County, in the center of the state.

The complaint, filed by William Reyes, said two employees of that Denny’s branch had the disease, local media reported Tuesday.

He details that Reyes ate at the place in October and that after a few days he began to feel nauseous, constipation, fatigue, abdominal pain, jaundice and weight loss.

“This incurable disease is only transmitted when a person ingests food or water that has been contaminated with the feces of an infected person,” said Morgan & amp; Morgan, in charge of the lawsuit, added that it is “incomprehensible” that this may occur in a family establishment.

Hepatitis A is a contagious disease that is usually transmitted from person to person through objects, food or beverages that are contaminated by small amounts of fecal matter from a person who suffers from it.

Since 2018, there have been more than 22,000 cases of hepatitis A in the country, more than 4,000 cases in Florida, according to the state Department of Health.

In August 2019, Florida general surgeon Scott Rivkees issued a public health emergency to address the increase in cases of hepatitis A in Florida due to the current national outbreak.

Although the rate of hepatitis A in the country has decreased by more than 95% since 1995, when the vaccine began to be used, there have been outbreaks of the disease in recent years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from the USA

After a long downward trend, it increased between 2012 and 2013, with 1,562 and 1,781 cases reported in the country, respectively.

Since 2016, 25 states have reported outbreaks of hepatitis A, with a total of 22,566 cases, 13,352 hospitalizations and 221 dead until July 16, according to CDC data.

The complaint, filed Thursday at the Ninth Judicial Circuit, was also filed against the franchise operator EYM Realty of Florida, LLC.

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