Los Angeles County health officials said Friday that they are investigating a new suspected hepatitis A outbreak at Cafe Pinot, one of downtown Los Angeles' top restaurants.
Four employees of the restaurant at the Central Library have fallen ill in the last few weeks, prompting the county Department of Health Services to urge restaurant patrons who dined there between Nov. 25 and Dec. 4 to contact their doctors for injections of antibodies to prevent infection.
Los Angeles County has seen a spike in hepatitis A cases since August. Officials have linked some of the cases to contaminated lettuce. Last week, the county urged residents to thoroughly clean even pre-washed lettuce.
However, officials are still trying to determine exactly what caused the outbreak at Cafe Pinot, said Dr. Jonathan Fielding, public health director for Los Angeles County.
"There's nothing at this point that suggests the restaurant is responsible for this," he said. "We don't know if it was produce or hand-washing technique or what. Anything could have caused it."
Fielding, who said he has eaten at Cafe Pinot, said he found no reason to close the restaurant, adding that he would readily eat there again.
"I wouldn't hesitate to eat there," he said. "People have a lot of choices in restaurants, but I would recommend not striking it off any lists. I don't see any reason to avoid it."
The upscale Cafe Pinot is one of several downtown restaurants owned by German-born, French-trained chef Joachim Splichal. His others include Patina and Kendall's Brasserie at the Los Angeles Music Center.
A spokeswoman for Cafe Pinot could not be reached for comment, but Fielding said the restaurant has been cooperative.
Since September, at least 60 people have fallen ill from hepatitis A in Los Angeles County. The outbreak comes after years of declining cases.
Two previous outbreaks occurred in September and October. The first incident took place at an unidentified downtown Los Angeles restaurant and affected 13 people. The latter arose from an event catered by a Hollywood company, at which 19 fell ill. The other cases were scattered.
Officials had observed an increase in hepatitis A in homeless patients in downtown Los Angeles late last summer, but those numbers appear to be dropping. The county's hepatitis A rates had been declining since 1999, when health officials began advising that children be vaccinated against the disease.
