Lake Louise resort food handler exposes patrons to hepatitis A

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I visited Banff and Lake Louise, Alberta (that’s in Canada) a couple of years ago and came away thinking it would be a great place to be a stoner ski bum. A beautiful spot with lots of vacationing folks, seasonal workers and decent food and bars. And hepatitis A exposure.

According to the Penticton Herald, a hot drink food handler at the Lake Louise ski resort’s Powderkeg Lounge has the virus.556596_10152080652605367_1991479126_n

Health officials say customers who ate or drank hot beverages at the Powderkeg Lounge in Lake Louise between Nov. 6 and Nov. 8 may have been exposed.

The health agency says patrons who consumed cold beverages are not at risk of exposure and do not need a vaccine.

Clinics are being held in Calgary and Banff in the next couple of days — the vaccine is only effective if administered within two weeks of exposure.

“While we believe the risk to the public is low, hepatitis A is a serious infection,” Dr. Judy MacDonald, medical health officer for the Calgary zone, said in a release Thursday.

Lake Louise is about to host World Cup men’s and women’s downhill ski races. The men arrive early next week for training runs ahead of races Nov. 28-29. The women compete Dec. 4-6.

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About Ben Chapman

Dr. Ben Chapman is a professor and food safety extension specialist at North Carolina State University. As a teenager, a Saturday afternoon viewing of the classic cable movie, Outbreak, sparked his interest in pathogens and public health. With the goal of less foodborne illness, his group designs, implements, and evaluates food safety strategies, messages, and media from farm-to-fork. Through reality-based research, Chapman investigates behaviors and creates interventions aimed at amateur and professional food handlers, managers, and organizational decision-makers; the gate keepers of safe food. Ben co-hosts a biweekly podcast called Food Safety Talk and tries to further engage folks online through Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and, maybe not surprisingly, Pinterest. Follow on Twitter @benjaminchapman.