A person can become infected with the Hepatitis A virus after eating contaminated food and water, and this type of disease can cause mild to severe illness. A recent Hepatitis A outbreak infecting 17 people in the US is concerning the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The federal agency suspects that it has to do with fresh organic strawberries, and it started investigating, according to CNN.
The strawberries in question were branded as HEB and FreshKampo and sold at retailers such as Trader Joe’s, Safeway, Aldi, Walmart, and more.
12 people were hospitalized
The 17 cases of infection with Hepatitis A occurred in the American states of Minnesota, California, and North Dakota. Twelve individuals of those infected needed hospitalizations.
The FDA said:
If you are unsure of what brand you purchased, when you purchased your strawberries, or where you purchased them from prior to freezing them, the strawberries should be thrown away.
The federal agency also wrote:
Consumers, restaurants, and retailers should not sell, serve, or eat any fresh organic strawberries branded as FreshKampo or HEB if purchased between March 5, 2022, and April 25, 2022. People who purchased the fresh strawberries and then froze those strawberries for later consumption should not eat them. They should be thrown away.
Hepatitis A can manifest itself through various symptoms, including loss of appetite, fever, headaches, sore throat, cough, fatigue, joint and muscle pain, diarrhea, constipation, and so on.
Hepatitis A can also be spread from one person to another through close contact. Pretty much anyone can get the disease, so thinking that it can not happen to you would be a huge mistake. The disease also spreads if individuals forget to wash their hands before they make food.
