Since the beginning of April, 17 people have been infected with the hepatitis A virus in the United States and ten others in Canada. All of them consumed organic strawberries sold in supermarkets.
- The strawberries were sold in a dozen supermarket chains.
- In the United States, cases are concentrated in California and Minnesota.
- About 1200 cases are detected each year in France.
Were the strawberries contaminated? The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the American health authority and its Canadian counterpart, are currently investigating cases of hepatitis A, which have occurred since April. 17 people are affected in the United States, 12 of whom had to be hospitalized and ten sick people have been identified in Canada. According to their first hypotheses, these cases are “potentially related to FreshKampo and HEB brand fresh organic strawberries, purchased between March 5, 2022 and April 25, 2022″. For people who may have frozen them, it is recommended to immediately discard the fruit.
The FDA, along with CDC, Canadian, state, and local partners are investigating a multistate outbreak of hepatitis A in the US & Canada potentially linked to fresh organic strawberries branded as FreshKampo & HEB, purchased between March 5 & April 25. https://t.co/7eCsxY5Une pic.twitter.com/prtfw9UWQB
— US FDA (@US_FDA) May 28, 2022
Preventive treatment in the absence of vaccination
“If consumers purchased FreshKampo or HEB brand fresh organic strawberries between March 5, 2022 and April 25, 2022, ate these fruits within the past two weeks, and were not vaccinated against Hepatitis A, they should immediately consult their healthcare professional to determine if post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is needed, warns the FDA. Prophylaxis is a method of treatment that helps prevent the onset of a disease. “PEP is recommended for unvaccinated people who have been exposed to the hepatitis A virus within the past two weeks, as vaccination can prevent hepatitis A infection if given within 14 days of infection. ‘exposure.”
What is hepatitis A?
Hepatitis A is caused by a virus (HAV) and causes an acute infection of the liver. According to Ministry of Healthit is transmitted “mainly via the faecal-oral or dietary route”. The incubation period, ie the time between infection and the manifestation of the first symptoms, is 15 to 50 days, with an average of 30 days. The main symptoms are fever, severe fatigue accompanied by nausea, abdominal pain followed by jaundice. “Jaundice or jaundice is characterized by the yellow coloring of the skin and mucous membranes which may only be visible, at the start of the disease, only at the level of the white of the eye., underlines the Ministry of Health. Severe forms are rare, but more frequent in fragile or immunocompromised people. There is no specific treatment, the symptoms eventually disappear after a few weeks. For severe forms, a liver transplant may be necessary.
