Res. No. 1238 Title Resolution calling upon the New York State Department of Health to mandate that all workers employed in the preparation, serving or handling of foods in New York State be required to undergo appropriate health examinations as a condition of employment, including Chest X-rays and tests needed to identify other communicable diseases. Body By Council Members Harrison, Espada, Freed, Marshall and Fiala; also Council Members Cruz, Foster, Michels, Pinkett, Povman, Robinson and Watkins Whereas, Medical investigators have historically been aware of the link between infected food handlers and the spread of communicable diseases to the public; and Whereas, According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, public health investigations undertaken in 1904 determined that Mary Mallon popularly known as "Typhoid Mary" spread typhoid disease as a direct result of her food preparation activities; and Whereas, According to the Medscape publication entitled Foodborne Disease Control: A Transnational Challenge (the "Foodborne Disease Publication"), a committee of the World Health Organization has concluded that "illness due to contaminated food was the most widespread health problem in the contemporary world"; and Whereas, The Foodborne Disease Publication found that "data from industrialized countries indicate that annually up to 10 percent or more of the population may have a foodborne disease"; and Whereas, The Foodborne Disease Publication stated that "inadequate knowledge on the part of food handlers has contributed to increased contamination of primary foodstuffs"; and Whereas, Hepatitis A is a communicable virus that can be spread from person to person; and Whereas, According to Dr. Tom Van Gilder, a medical epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control, 5 percent of all Hepatitis A cases are caused by the improper handling of food; and Whereas, The Foodborne Disease Publication noted that Salmonellosis and E. Coli have also been spread through contaminated food; and Whereas, Under New York State law, the New York State Department of Health is mandated to regulate the sanitary aspects of public eating and drinking establishments; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the New York State Department of Health to mandate that all workers employed in the preparation, serving or handling of foods in New York State be required to undergo appropriate health examinations as a condition of employment, including Chest X-rays and tests needed to identify other communicable diseases. PS-LS-2761 H:resolution communicable diseases and food workers