[Sca-cooks] Strange question re: food contamination

[Decker, Terry D.]

Herpes, both genital (Herpes Simplex-2) and cold sores (Herpes Simplex-1),
spreads by direct contact.  This normally means touching the infected area
and transferring the virus by touching someone else.  Since the common
locations for herpes are around the mouth and genitals, sex and kissing are
the most common methods of transmission.

It is unlikely that the disease will be transmitted in food, especially if
the the kitchen staff properly washes the hands and uses food handlers
gloves.

According to the statistics, about 1/6 of the U.S. population has some form
of herpes, so someone in the kitchen is likely to have it, although it may
not be an active case.

Bear


> [ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]
> Someone asked me today if it was possible to spread genital
> herpes by working
> in a kitchen.  I told them I sincerely doubted it, since I
> think it's spread
> by sexual contact only, but thought I might as well ask if any of the
> professional-type cooks here have heard anything on this
> topic.  As an aside,
> this person seemed to think that as a former shire
> chirurgeon, I would know
> all about any contagious diseases anyone in the shire had
> (she was very
> surprised that I did not know who she was talking about) -
> apparently she
> thinks chirurgeons are the Department of Health or something.
>
> Brangwayna Morgan