The United States and Canada have reported an outbreak of hepatitis A, which is likely to have spread due to contaminated organic strawberries.

The strawberries, which were distributed nationwide, were sold under the brand name FreshKampo or HEB between March 5 and April 25, the US Food and Drug Administration said in a statement late on Saturday.

There have been 17 infections reported in the US with 12 hospitalisations, while 10 infections have been reported in Canada. In the US, at least 15 cases were reported in California, while in Canada four cases were reported in Alberta and six in Saskatchewan.

The FDA said the fruit was sold nationwide in at least nine grocery chains including Trader Joe’s and Walmart, while the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) said berries were sold between March 5 and 9 at stores in Saskatchewan and Alberta, and are no longer available for purchase in Canada.

“People who purchased the fresh strawberries and then froze those strawberries for later consumption should not eat them. They should be thrown away,” the FDA said.

What is hepatitis A?

According to the FDA, hepatitis A is a contagious virus that causes inflammation of the liver.

It is primarily spread when an uninfected and unvaccinated person ingests food or water contaminated with the faeces of an infected person. The disease is closely associated with poor sanitation or hygiene.

The WHO estimates that in 2016, 7,134 people died from the disease (accounting for 0.5 percent of the mortality due to viral hepatitis).

However, unlike other types of hepatitis, hepatitis A does not lead to chronic disease.

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The World Health Organization says that the spread of this virus occurs “sporadically and in epidemics worldwide, with a tendency for cyclic recurrences”. Epidemics related to contaminated food can spread rapidly.

BDST: 1700 HRS, May 31 2022
MSK