Meetings offered to improve food safety in local restaurants

The CDC estimates that some 5,000 people die each year from foodborne diseases.

Last month a hepatitis scare appeared in the media when a Wolfgang Puck prep cook exposed Beyonce Knowles and others to the virus at a Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition party.

There have been no reports of illness.

An estimated 76 million cases of foodborne disease occur each year in the United States according to the Centers for Disease Control. The great majority of these cases are mild and cause symptoms for only a day or two. Some cases are more serious. The CDC estimates 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths related to foodborne diseases occur annually.

St. Louis requires a hepatitis test for people in food service. But Cape Girardeau and other cities in the region do not.

It is possible for a person who has hepatitis not to have symptoms and that is one reason health officials recommend vaccines for people in food service.

"We love the hepatitis A vaccine," said Cape Girardeau public health director Charlotte Craig, adding that it has no side effects and little skin irritation. "We would love restaurants to make it voluntary to take it and are willing to work with them to make the test available in clinics."

The Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center offers the 166 establishments that pay restaurant taxes in the county an opportunity to learn about changes in the Missouri food code and improve food safety skills every second Tuesday of the month, but fewer than 10 people typically attend.

Check out www.semissourian.com or the Southeast Missourian on Wednesday for more details.