Another Reason To Reconsider Eating At McDonald's (UPDATED)

By Marcus Gilmer in Food on Jul 20, 2009 6:40PM

An infected McDonald's employee who didn't practice proper hygiene has caused a stir in Northwest Illinois. It seems the worker had hepatitis A and may have spread the disease. According to Fox, the worker was at the Milan, IL McDonald's and worked July 6 - 10 and 13 - 14. People who ate at the restaurant during those days are eligible for free treatment courtesy of the Rock Island Dept. of Health at Rock Island High School today and tomorrow. Though officials haven't confirmed if they're related, 20 cases of hepatitis A were recently confirmed throughout Rock Island, Mercer, Henry, Warren and Woodford counties. [FOX 32]

Update: McDonald’s Franchisee, Kevin Murphy, has released this statement on the incident:

"The health and safety of our customers and employees is a priority that will never knowingly be compromised. Once we were notified of this matter by the Rock Island County Health Department on July 13, we took immediate corrective action to address their concerns. No one ill knowingly worked in our restaurant once we were notified. The Rock Island County Health Department has repeatedly said that they have not confirmed the source of the outbreak. In fact, they believe, based on the number of confirmed cases, that it's most likely there are multiple sources. We'll continue to work with the Rock Island County Health Department to ensure the continued safe operation of our restaurant."