RED ALERT: The Food and Drug Administration is investigating batches of strawberries in the United States and Canada sold at Aldi, HEB, Kroger, Safeway, Sprouts Farmers Market, Trader Joe’s, Walmart, Weis Markets and WinCo Foods, among others. the strawberries were linked to an outbreak of hepatitis A that led to 17 illnesses and 12 people hospitalized. According to the FDA, strawberries purchased between March 5, 2022 and April 25, 2022 were affected, so it’s likely most consumers have eaten them or have already thrown them away.
The outbreak is reported to have consequences for HEB and FreshKampo strawberries. The agency “is investigating an outbreak of hepatitis A infection in multiple states in the United States and Canada that may be related to fresh organic strawberries under the FreshKampo brand and HEB,” the FDA website says. And according to officials, HEB and FreshKampo strawberries purchased between March 5, 2022 and April 25, 2022 are affected and should be discarded immediately. However, there is no explanation that strawberries bought outside those dates will be affected, and fruit bought today would be safe to eat. The FDA believes the outbreak has contaminated the organic strawberries packaged by the two companies.
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The FDA, along with CDC, Canadian, state, and local partners, is investigating a multi-state outbreak of hepatitis A in the US and Canada that may be related to fresh Organic FreshKampo & HEB-branded strawberries purchased between March 5 and April 25. https://t.co/7eCsxY5Une pic.twitter.com/prtfw9UWQB
— US FDA (@US_FDA) 28 mei 2022
Symptoms of hepatitis A
Hepatitis A can cause a mild illness that lasts for weeks and in some cases it can also cause a serious illness that can last up to months. The virus further causes loss of appetite, fatigue and abdominal pain. In addition, in rare cases, the infection can cause liver disease and death, the FDA said. Most people who are infected recover completely within a few weeks. And the virus can spread through personal contact with an infected person.
Therefore, the FDA has so far reported 17 illnesses and 12 hospitalizations associated with strawberry consumption. California saw 15 cases, while Minnesota and North Dakota saw one case each. “If you’re not sure what brand you bought when you bought your strawberries, or where you bought them before freezing, the strawberries should be thrown away,” the FDA said.
“If consumers purchased fresh organic strawberries with the FreshKampo or HEB brand between March 5, 2022 and April 25, 2022, who have eaten berries in the past two weeks and have not been vaccinated against hepatitis A, they should immediately consult their healthcare provider. to determine whether post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is needed. PEP is recommended for unvaccinated people who have been exposed to the hepatitis A virus in the past two weeks because vaccination can prevent hepatitis A infection if given within 14 days of exposure,” the FDA added.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency are also investigating.