--- title: HEPATITIS A SHOTS TAX RED CROSS BLOOD SUPPLY date: 2006-09-05T12:26:47-07:00 author: Bill Marler canonical_url: "https://marlerclark.com/news_events/hepatitis-a-shots-tax-red-cross-blood-supply" section: News --- [All News](/news_events) / # HEPATITIS A SHOTS TAX RED CROSS BLOOD SUPPLY By Jennifer L. Boen jboen@News-sentinel.com The ripple effects of possible exposure to hepatitis A by up to 10,000 Coventry Pizza Hut diners continue to be felt in the greater Fort Wayne area and beyond. As the Fort Wayne-Allen County Department of Health continues immunizing people in mass clinics at Memorial Coliseum this week, anyone who gets the immune globulin, or Ig, shot to ward off the liver disease is now unable to be a blood donor for 12 months after the shot, American Red Cross officials announced Wednesday. In addition, anyone who dined at the restaurant between Aug. 12 and Aug. 19 but opted not to get an Ig shot is ineligible to give blood for four months. The hepatitis A exposure stems from an employee at Pizza Hut, 5735 Coventry Lane, testing positive for the disease on Aug. 24. The individual served food and drink during that eight-day period, potentially exposing patrons to the virus. Ig must be given within 14 days of infection and does not provide long-term immunity to people who may subsequently be exposed to the hepatitis A virus. The Pizza Hut employee has not worked at the restaurant since Aug. 19, and no cases of hepatitis A related to this employee have been detected. The health department has fully cleared the restaurant for operation. Complicating the situation is the fact a number of people who dined at that Pizza Hut were college students who have gone back to school. The health department has made arrangements for shots to be given to people in about 10 other cities in four states and as far away as Canada, many of them college students, said department administrator Mindy Waldron. As of Wednesday morning, nearly 3,700 free hepatitis A shots had been given. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released information about the incident through its EPI-X network, which reaches epidemiologists across the country. Pizza Hut has offered to pay for the immune globulin shots and for doctor visits directly related to the hepatitis A exposure, said Chris Fuller, associate manager for Pizza Hut corporate offices in Dallas. “Additionally, we’ve offered to pay for associated costs, including supplies and staffing, such as nursing.” In collaboration with the health department, “We’ve also set up a toll-free number for information or questions,” he said. The number is 1-800-607-7491. Waldron said clinic costs could run at least $150,000. The timing of the blood donation deferrals so close to a holiday, when blood demand is at its greatest, is especially disconcerting, said Rebecca Fuller, communications coordinator for the Red Cross Blood Services Indiana-Ohio region. “Right now, we have a 48-hour supply. We were hoping to have at least up to a 72-hour supply before the weekend because we collect nothing Sunday and Monday,” she said. Lutheran Hospital has a scheduled blood drive on Friday, “but their appointments are down 44 percent” from what was the norm for previous years, mostly due to the hepatitis A exposure situation, Fuller said. Blood Services staff became aware of dwindling supplies when they called to schedule donors. “People who called us who canceled their appointments or when we called them to schedule their blood donation time mentioned they may have been exposed to hepatitis A,” alerting Red Cross staff to take a closer look at the situation. The four-month deferral period is “industry standard” for people who have been exposed to hepatitis A, said Dr. Claire Meena-Leist, medical director for Red Cross Blood Services in this region. The one-year deferral following a shot of Ig, which boosts the immune system, is because immune globulin is made from human blood components, Meena-Leist said. “Immune globulin is a very safe drug … heat-treated, but any blood or tissue component has a 12-month deferral.” The Red Cross is hoping first-time donors or those who haven’t donated for a while will fill the gap. “It will be important for everyone in the community who can to participate in blood donation,” Meena-Leist said. — Reporter Cindy Larson contributed to this report. ### Other Hepatitis A Lawsuits [La Serranita Concha Negra Frozen Clam Hepatitis A Outbreak Lawsuits](https://marlerclark.com/la-serranita-concha-negra-frozen-clam-hepatitis-a-outbreak-lawsuits) [Washington and California Hepatitis A Outbreak linked to Imported Strawberries](https://marlerclark.com/washington-hepatitis-a-outbreak-linked-to-imported-strawberries) [Hepatitis A outbreak - Strawberries sicken 27 in Canada and United 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