I Said I Wanted A Hip Party, Not A Hep Party

Happy Valentine's Day to all of those who attended the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue party in Los Angeles on February 14! Thanks to the fine staff at Wolfgang Puck, creators of frozen pizzas and LAX airport cafes, you may now be infected with Hepatitis A, particularly if you had the oysters on the half shell or the sushi:

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health urged anyone who ate raw food at the Sports Illustrated event, held at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood, to receive an immune globulin shot by Wednesday.

Health officials and event hosts were also contacting attendees of three smaller events between Feb. 14 and 20 that were within the 14-day window during which immune globulin can be administered to prevent illness.

Authorities identified nine other events involving the affected food handler at a time when the worker could have been infectious, but those attendees were already beyond the 14-day window for immune globulin. Hosts and organizers of those events were notified to advise guests to see their doctors if they experience symptoms.

The advisory was issued after the catering employee was diagnosed with acute Hepatitis A. The infected individual was placed on medical leave, said Carl Schuster, president of Wolfgang Puck Catering.

No need to be alarmed, though, as hepatitis A's symptoms only include malaise, joint aches, abdominal pain, vomiting 2-3 times per day for the first 5 days, defecation, loss of appetite, dark urine, fever, hepatomegaly (enlarged liver) and jaundice (icterus, yellowing of the eyes and skin) (according to wikipedia). No big deal.

Maybe next time, instead of ogling some scantily-clad woman, you'll look for the big white sign with a "C" on it.