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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 6, 1978)
Tofu-eaters get hepatitis By PAUL WALDSCHMIDT Of the Emerald So far more than 200 persons have received treatment for pos sible exposure to hepatitis infected soybean cakes served by eight restaurants frequented by University students and staff. Laboratory tests confirmed Tuesday two employes of the Surata Soy Foods Co. of Eugene are infected with the disease and may have contaminated some 3,100 pounds of the bean cakes, called "tofu.” The suspected food was pro duced and distributed from Dec. 9 to Dec. 31. The company stop ped production after Dec. 31 and the carriers were isolated. Dr. David White, of the Lane County Health Division, urges anyone who may have eaten bean cakes at the Bamboo Pavillion, Homefried Truckstop, China Blue Restaurant, Gertrude's Restaur ant, the Golden Temple, Honey’s Cafe, Zoo Zoo’s Restaurant, or a food booth at the Saturday Market during the December dates to contact their doctor, the Student Health Center or the Lane County Health Department. Persons suspecting they have eaten the cakes will be given gamma globulin shots to reduce the severity of the disease if hepatitis occurs. Dr. White said the timing of the hepatitis outbreak may have been fortunate. He pointed out that a large number of students who might have otherwise eaten at the restaurants were out of town dur ing the Christmas break. “It’s really almost a case of we have some good news and we have some bad news,” he said. Or. Avard Long, Student Health Center director, agreed that the timing may have reduced the number of hepatitis cases. He said the center has gamma globu lin shots available and urged peo ple who suspect they have been exposed to come to the center. Dr. White emphasized that the restuarants themselves are not in fected and the hepatitis risk was checked when the contaminated cakes were removed. He said the 200 cases of sus pected hepatitis exposure reflect only those people who have re ceived treatment at the county health department. He said others may have received treatment from private doctors or the campus health center. Meanwhile efforts to control the spread of the disease are being coordinated by the Oregon State Health Division in Portland. Dr. Larry Foster, state epidemiologist, said, “If you think you have been exposed, you should get a gamma globulin shot this week. The treatment is more effective if it is given as soon as possible.” Foster said so far the only place out of state known to receive a shipment of the contaminated food is Redding, California. He said local health officials in Red ding have been notified. Foster sad one group of people meeting in Eugene "shared a meal in common that included the tofu.” He said the group, Western Young Friends Gathering, a Quaker group from Washington, Oregon, California and Canada, had a tofu dinner Dec. 30. He said group members are being traced and notified of the possible hepatitis exposure. Foster said heoatitis is spread by eating food that has been ex posed to the virus. The virus grows in a person’s digestive tract and infected foodhandlers may transfer the virus to food products they touch. Arizona Project implicates R-G in $60-million suit By CHRIS NORMAN Of the Emerald A $60-million libel suit was filed Wednesday by an Arizona and Alaskan pilot and landowner who claimed he was falsely identified in an article by the Investigative Reporters and Editors Inc. (IRE) as being "the mysterv man of the Arizona drug corridor." Alfred Gay filed the suit in Mar copa County Superior Court against IRE and 23 news organi zations — including the Eugene Register-Guard — which pub lished or broadcast the investiga tive team’s story about him in April. The Register-Guard was the only news organization in Oregon and one of 27 in the nation to par ticipate in Project Arizona, an in SUGAR PINE RIDGE A unique specialty sport shop X-COUNTRY SKIING Featuring name brand ski packages, children's skis RENTAL of TRAK and FISCHER no-wax skis. Also waxable skis on request. Everything for the RUNNER & JOGGER -plus A fine selection of TENNIS EQUIPMENT 877 E. 13th 345-5564 Next to UO Bookstore "upstairs” vestigation of land fraud and or ganized crime spawned by the assassination of investigative re porter Dot Bolles. Barrie Hartman, the Reg ister Guard’s managing editor, said he doesn't regret the decision to join the IRE and will stand by the stories it printed. “We got into tnis thing and we knew the possibility of lawsuits,” he said. “We asked ourselves about the (Register-Guard’s) commitment, knowing that it might lead to libel suits...and said ‘yes. ' Soon after the Register-Guard printed the IRE articles, it began receiving several demand retrac tions, including one representing Arizona Sen. Barry Goldwater. Not one retraction was printed, he added. The Gay suit is the second filed against the Register-Guard in connection with the IRE series. Peter Licavoli Jr. of Arizona is suing the Register-Guard for $8 million because he alleges defa mation by parts of four articles he contends painted him as “un scrupulous and dishonest.” The IRE story claimed Gay fre quently crossed the Arizona Mexico border without being searched. The IRE story also al leges Gay told reporters that U.S. customs agents ‘think I’m a crook, so let them believe it. I don’t care.” Gay denied he ever made the statement and claimed he has lost business as a result of the article. John Flynn of Phoenix, Gay’s attorney, claimed in the suit the IRE was a “vigilante task force or defamatory squad.” He said the reporters who par ticipated in the IRE Arizona Pro ject wanted to avenge "the death of fellow reporter Don Bolles.’’ Bolles was killed when a bomb exploded under his car in a mid town Phoenix hotel parking lot. COOPERATIVE PRINTING 13c copies. Fast Priming Cooperatively owned We stock recycled paper 485-4899 7(2 t <n*» to The tjtceWl I Offset W*otocopie» Giaphk Design Custom Coitigrophy 10m Setectnc Typing Thesis Printing Editing Omdmg
