Hepatitis Virus Found On Organic Berries In Eight States
June 20, 2013 A nationwide outbreak of hepatitis A linked to frozen berries has sickened 118 people in eight states, sending 47 to the hospital, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Tuesday.
Although the berries were recalled June 3, people are still getting sick. A report in The Oregonian newspaper found that a restaurant in Ashland, OR, was still serving smoothies made with the recalled berries last Wednesday.
Polly Sirles of Corralitos, CA, “went on a health kick” and had been feeding her family fruit smoothies for breakfast for two weeks. Then she got a call from Costco telling her that the frozen berry mix she’d bought there was linked to an outbreak of hepatitis A.
The mother of five immediately called her pediatrician, who told her the kids’ vaccinations were all up-to-date and they were protected. So Sirles, 43, and her husband, Aaron, 46, went in to be tested themselves. The tests came back negative, so both were vaccinated and went on with preparations for their oldest son’s high school graduation party.
Unfortunately, hepatitis A infections can take several weeks to show up on tests, and last week, her husband developed a fever and began to vomit non-stop. “Sunday night, he turned yellow, and when we brought him down to the doctor Monday morning, they said they need to hospitalize him,” she said.
Read the full article on USAToday.com.
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