Jun 01, 2022 16:00:00

U.S. and Canadian officials warn that contaminated 'organic strawberries' may have caused hepatitis A

Hepatitis A patients infected with the hepatitis A virus (HAV) may have suffered a series of problems in the United States and Canada due to 'contaminated organic strawberries' by authorities in both countries. Announced that there is. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is urging consumers to dispose of their strawberries if they have purchased them and stored them frozen.

Outbreak Investigation of Hepatitis A Virus: Strawberries (May 2022) | FDA
https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/outbreak-investigation-hepatitis-virus-strawberries-may-2022

Contaminated strawberries linked to hepatitis outbreak, FDA says | Live Science
https://www.livescience.com/strawberries-linked-to-hepatitis-outbreak

Hepatitis A is a viral hepatitis that develops when infected with HAV. After a latent period of 2 to 7 weeks, fever, diarrhea, abdominal pain, vomiting, fatigue, yellowing of the eyes and skin It presents with symptoms such as strangeness. In most cases, it recovers in 4 to 8 weeks, but older people tend to become more severe, and in rare cases, they may become fulminant and die.

In the United States and Canada, cases of hepatitis A occurred one after another in the spring of 2022, and by the time the article was written, 15 cases in California, 1 in Minnesota, and 1 in North Dakota had occurred in the United States, for a total of 17 cases. In Canada, 4 cases occurred in Alberta and 6 cases in Saskatchewan, for a total of 10 cases. Twelve of 17 people were hospitalized in the United States and 4 out of 10 in Canada, but no deaths have been reported in any of the countries.

The FDA said the main source of HAV infection was eating contaminated food, which may have been caused by 'contaminated organic strawberries' in the cases reported in the United States and Canada. Is reporting. According to an FDA study, the strawberries in question are under the Fresh Kampo or HEB brand, from March 5th to 25th, 2022, Aldi , HEB, Kroger , Safeway , Sprouts Farmers Market , Trader Joe's , Wal -Mart, Weis Markets WinCo. It was sold at retail stores such as Foods . According to follow-up, patients in California, Minnesota, and Canada reported purchasing these organic strawberries before they became ill.

Strawberries that may have been contaminated have already expired, but the FDA has argued that if they are stored frozen, they should be discarded without eating. Also, if you have strawberries at home that you don't know the brand or when to buy, you should just dispose of them just in case.

Not all people infected with HAV develop hepatitis A, but there is an incubation period of 2 to 7 weeks from infection to onset, during which post-exposure vaccination (PEP) is recommended. I am. If you have a history of HAV infection or have been vaccinated in the past, you do not need PEP.