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The Clock Is Ticking -- Tick Tick Tick

Posted Feb 28th 2007 11:45AM by TMZ Staff

The hepatitis scare triggered by an employee working for Wolfgang Puck's catering service is shrouded in mystery.

Puck catered 14 events between February 1 and February 20, at which an employee was infected with acute Hepatitis A. Puck's reps would only confirm one event to TMZ -- a Sports Illustrated party.

So what other events did Puck cater? They won't tell us. They say it's a matter of privacy and it's up to the Los Angeles County Health Department to notify individuals who may have been exposed. We've called the Health Department multiple times today and got the runaround. So what's the deal if someone was at the party and doesn't know he or she was exposed? Sounds pretty much like tough luck.

Tags: Wolfgang Puck, WolfgangPuck

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1. How can one catch Hepatitis? Does the infected person have to cough, breath or touch uncooked food?

Is it really THAT contagious?

Posted at 11:52AM on Feb 28th 2007 by Simone

2. Oh God not that Cindy Sheehan sh*t again. Please DO NOT click the link on #1 unless you want to see that whack bitch promoting herself.

Posted at 11:52AM on Feb 28th 2007 by Jigga

3. tmz i dont care stop reporting on it
i dont care!!!!!!!!

Posted at 12:00PM on Feb 28th 2007 by tide and bounty

4. This Wolf Putz Nazi has to be reeled in.Wheres the FDA?

Posted at 12:02PM on Feb 28th 2007 by Webb Kopp

5. Who the hell cares? If you went to a Wolfgang Puck event in the first two weeks of Feb see your doctor. Case closed.

Posted at 12:06PM on Feb 28th 2007 by BJ

6. Health authorities take alot of care not to cause a public panic by limiting information to only those that may have been exposed to it. The risk of HEP infection is very rare as long as proper hand cleaning and food preparation is followed. The majority of professional food handlers are aware or proper handling and cleaning to avoid contamination for not just HEP, but also many other communicable diseases. I would imagine the health department is properly skilled and trained to handle such events, and they are taking only precautionary measures including preventing a public panic. The risks of such infection are minimal, but of course this gives fodder to ignorant people to immediately place blame on minorities, and to further spread their ignorance and cause undue concern.

Communicable diseases are everywhere in your everyday living environment, pets, children, at work, and so on. We've lived with them this long, and we will continue to survive. Don't panic, and don't spread misinformation. The psychological damage can be just as dangerous.

Posted at 12:10PM on Feb 28th 2007 by BruceLD

7. I don't know much about hepatitis- but, wasn't the guy wearing gloves etc.....can someone please explain how this one person can cause such a scare.....could this become an epidemic? What are the symptoms etc......couldn't anyone else see this person was ill?

Posted at 12:11PM on Feb 28th 2007 by Brooklyn chick

8. The Health Dept will do their job and get in touch with everyone that was exposed.

You can be exposed by fecal contamination through food, water, raw shell fish, utensils handled by someone. All chefs and food handlers should wear food service gloves. To go back and forth between raw meat and vegetables , touching pepper mills, dipping into salt and pepper with hands that just handled raw meat, etc., creates cross contamination.

Posted at 12:32PM on Feb 28th 2007 by deb mcfarland

9. TMZ, It's none of your business who attended the parties. It is the health departments legal responsibility to notify people who might have been exposed...they will do their job, and Puck will provide them (not you) with the list of attendees. The health department won't provide you with the names either...because that violates HIPPA laws....I'm sure you've heard of that.

Posted at 12:32PM on Feb 28th 2007 by GEL

10. Not everyone would know the event they went to was catered by Wolfgang Puck. I say what is the big deal for W.P. or the Health Dept. to at least list those events he catered in that time frame, or is it only important to keep Beyonce and SI models safe from Hepatitis? Why was that event made public, are those people more important than the people who went to the other events? Wolfgang Puck should be ashamed, and what's wrong with one important story among all of the Britney, Anna, and Paris stories?

Posted at 12:31PM on Feb 28th 2007 by emma

11. I agree with No. 6; go to your doctor. Each person went to those meals of their own accord. If that happened to you or me, jane or joe average person, this wouldn't even be news. Maybe to turn this from a bad to good situation, all the celebs involved could give some of their money to local homeless shelters and do some good.

Posted at 1:36PM on Feb 28th 2007 by Jaye

12. What is it with Wolfgang Puck and diseased LIVER? He thumbs his nose at people who protest his foie gras made from the diseased livers of tortured geese and then he feeds his guests food that may cause disease in their livers. Very unappetizing to hear a chef involved in such things! He should be called Wolfgang Yuck!

Posted at 2:14PM on Feb 28th 2007 by wordster

13. This SOB catered a BarMitzvah my parents went to at a hollywood club. My Mother lucked out by not eating all night, but my father got the sickest he ever had been in his life and almost missed a week of work. It turned out that a bunch of people got sick from the food at the party. I don't think it is a coincidence-one of his workers might be messing with the food or pooping all over his hands, infecting the food. Wash your damn hands!

Posted at 8:00AM on Mar 4th 2007 by E A

14. Puck has Hepatitis A ? Is his line of food at the supermarket safe? Is his food at his resturants safe? Puck needs to come clean

Posted at 8:29PM on Feb 28th 2007 by flinte