Organic Strawberries Recalled After Being Potentially Linked to Hepatitis A Outbreak
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A Hepatitis A outbreak has possibly been caused by organic strawberries.
The Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and two food and public health agencies in Canada are investigating an outbreak of Hepatitis A across the U.S. and Canada. The number of infections are potentially linked to FreshKampo and HEB organic strawberries purchased between March 5 and April 25.
Some of the popular stores the produce was sold at include Trader Joe's, Walmart, Aldi and Safeway.
While the strawberries are past shelf life, the FDA advises those who froze the same strawberry products to not eat them and throw them away. If you don't remember when you froze the produce or what brand of strawberries you bought, the FDA still cautions consumers to discard them.
According to the FDA, reports of illness have been traced to California, Minnesota and North Dakota. In the U.S., there have been 17 reported infections and 12 hospitalizations as onset of illnesses spanned from March 28 to April 30.
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Consumers who are not vaccinated against Hepatitis A and who consumed FreshKampo and HEB strawberries between March 5 to April 25 should contact their healthcare providers for post-exposure prophylaxis, the FDA said in a statement on their website. Additionally, those who consumed the strawberries or have symptoms of Hepatitis A should also notify their healthcare provider.
According to the FDA, Hepatitis A is a virus that can cause liver disease. Illness typically occurs within 15 to 50 days after eating contaminated food. While infections range depending on age and pre-existing conditions, the FDA says people with Hepatitis A recover within one to two weeks.
