bouncer wrote:
>
> November 17, 2003
> Community Is Reeling From Hepatitis Outbreak
> By LYDIA POLGREEN

<snip>
>
> The exact cause of the infection is not known, but investigators are
> looking closely at green onions, or scallions, which are used in
> several dishes Chi-Chi's offers and are often served raw. Outbreaks of
> hepatitis A in Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia in September were
> linked to scallions, investigators said.
>
> "We haven't been able to pin it down yet," Mr. McGarvey said. "Green
> onions and scallions are obviously one of the sources we are looking
> at."
>
> On Saturday, the Food and Drug Administration recommended that
> scallions be thoroughly cooked to avoid infection.
>
> The source of the virus in the Tennessee outbreak appeared to be
> Mexico, the agency said. Investigators are working with Mexican
> officials to determine where the shipment originated and where the
> scallions went.

Given how relatively few people have been affected, versus the vast
number of raw green onions consumed in the US daily, wondering if some
of those green onions were possibly contaminated after the fact. As in:
in the restaurants themselves.

We border on Mexico and a lot of our fruit and vegetables come from
there. We haven't had any outbreaks here yet.