A new outbreak of a hepatitis A strain rarely seen in the Western Hemisphere is believed to be associated with frozen mixed berries purchased from Costco.
At least 30 illnesses are involved, including sicknesses in Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, and Nevada and Townsend Farms Organic Antioxidant Blend frozen berries purchased from Costco appear to be the source of this outbreak.
The outbreak strain has been identified by CDC as hepatitis A virus (HAV) genotype 1B, a strain that circulates in North Africa and the Middle East. It was associated with last year’s outbreak in Europe involving frozen berries and another in British Columbia involving frozen berry blend with pomegranate seeds from Egypt.
Hepatitis A virus is spread via the fecal-oral route, and may be transferred from person to person through close contact or through food handling. Contaminated food or beverages commonly spread the virus.
30 Hepatitis A Illnesses Linked to Organic Berries Sold at Costco - Food Safety News
