Hepatitis A outbreak could be tied to organic strawberries, FDA says. What to know
A Hepatitis A outbreak spanning multiple states could be tied to organic strawberries, officials warn.
Customers are urged to toss strawberries sold fresh under brand names FreshKampo and HEB from March 5 to April 25. Though the fresh fruits have likely spoiled, people may still have them stored in their freezers.
The berries may have come from Aldi, HEB, Kroger, Safeway, Sprouts Farmers Market, Trader Joe’s, Walmart, Weis Markets or WinCo Foods, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
“If you are unsure of what brand you purchased, when you purchased your strawberries, or where you purchased them from prior to freezing them, the strawberries should be thrown away,” the FDA said in an investigation notice on Saturday, May 28.
That’s because people in the United States and Canada reported buying the strawberries before they became sick.
So far, the Hepatitis A outbreak is likely tied to 15 cases in California and one each in Minnesota and North Dakota. At least 12 people have been hospitalized, and no deaths were reported, officials said.
What are symptoms of Hepatitis A?
Hepatitis A is a liver infection caused by a virus of the same name.
“It is spread when someone unknowingly ingests the virus — even in microscopic amounts — through close personal contact with an infected person or through eating contaminated food or drink,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
People usually get sick 15 to 20 days after exposure. While children under age 6 and other patients may not have symptoms, common signs include “fatigue, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, jaundice, dark urine, and pale stool,” the FDA said on its website.
Patients usually get better after a few weeks, though Hepatitis A can be deadly in rare cases.
People who believe they ate the contaminated strawberries in the past two weeks and haven’t been vaccinated against Hepatitis A are urged to call their doctors about “post exposure prophylaxis” drugs.
“Those with evidence of previous hepatitis A vaccination or previous hepatitis A infection do not require PEP,” officials said.
This story was originally published May 30, 2022 at 3:38 PM with the headline "Hepatitis A outbreak could be tied to organic strawberries, FDA says. What to know."
