Food Workers & HIV.. I Did Not Know That

Subway restaurant sued for 'firing an employee after he told them he was HIV positive'
By Wills Robinson For Dailymail.com

"When claimant told manager Maria Manawat he had the disease, he allegedly said in response: 'What if you cut yourself? What if our customers find out?'... Their actions, if true, violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) which prohibits employers from discriminating against employees because of a disability."

My Comments About The Article AboveAccording to the Pennsylvania Department Of Health people with HIV or AIDS are protected by the The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This is their position... "A restaurant owner may believe that there is a risk of employing an individual with HIV disease as a cook, waiter or waitress, or dishwasher, because the employee might transmit the disease through the handling of food. However, HIV and AIDS are specifically not included on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ("CDC") list of infectious and communicable diseases that are transmitted through the handling of food. There is little or no likelihood that employing persons with HIV/AIDS in food handling positions would pose a risk of transmitting HIV."

That may be, but I still feel uncomfortable not knowing if my food may have come in contact with someone salivating or exposed to a open wound of a infected individual (accidentally or otherwise). I can't find statistics or studies that back up the CDC position. Just exactly what does "little or no likelihood" mean? Statically speaking, even if someone were unfortunate enough to be only one in .00001%, it's still 100% if that person so happened to be you.

I do think I have every right to remain cautious. This is not to dissimilar to the hepatitis outbreaks that occurred in the past. These occurred when food handlers didn't report on their own or follow proper procedures. In the case of HIV like that of the hepatitis outbreaks we're relying on food handlers to do the right thing. Sorry but my trust simply doesn't extend that far.

No one should hold anything against someone who fell victim to HIV, but when it comes to the food industry.. well let's just say this is bad policy.