The stricken father who could barely rouse himself to help his daughter trick-or-treat.

	FACES OF THE OUTBREAK The Human Side Read about some of the people caught in the epidemic: The Sick: Kevin Costello The Doctor: Dr. Virginia Dato The Inspector: Rosa Hernandes The Worried: Davis Family The Trucker: Gomez Family The Nurse: Jolan Dallatore The Harvesters: Hernandez Family

The physician who tracks the spread of disease, and the nurse who cares for its victims.

The trucker who hauls produce from Mexico to the United States, and the border inspector assigned to turn back truckloads that may threaten consumers.

Over the past eight weeks, each has been touched by the outbreak of hepatitis A that, investigators believe, was carried between the tightly rolled layers of green onions pulled from the ground in Mexico.

Somehow tainted by virus, the harvested onions apparently ended up in Beaver County, diced and sprinkled in salsas, salads and sauces at the Chi-Chi's restaurant in the Beaver Valley Mall.

The outbreak would eventually sicken more than 600 restaurant patrons and employees and would kill three of them. It would prompt the U.S. government to crack down on green onion imports, propel public health investigators to track the source of the virus, and spur Mexican growers to protest their implication in its spread.