Category Archives: Hepatitis A

Australia – 1 dead, 24 sick check your freezers: Hepatitis A death linked to frozen pomegranate recall in Australia (grown in Egypt)

Posted on June 6, 2018 by | Leave a comment

Barf Blog

SA Health chief medical officer and chief public health officer Professor Paddy Phillips revealed a 64-year-old woman died last Wednesday after “some time” in hospital.

“This is a rare and tragic case and I offer my sincere condolences to the woman’s family,” Professor Phillips said.

“The majority of people infected with hepatitis A recover fully and the woman’s death is the only death linked to this recalled product nationally to date.

“The incubation period for hepatitis A is generally 15-50 days, so we don’t anticipate further cases because the product was recalled two months ago.

“While we expect most people would have disposed of the recalled product, we urge everyone to double-check freezers and remove any affected products.

“Fresh pomegranate and frozen Australian-grown pomegranate products are not affected.”

 

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Posted in food death, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Hepatitis A, Uncategorized

USA – West Virginia hepatitis A outbreak tops 100 cases

Posted on May 24, 2018 by | Leave a comment

Outbreak News Today

As of May 18, 106 cases (98 confirmed, 3 probable, 5 suspect) have been seen. Three-quarters of the cases required hospitalization and no deaths have been reported.

Most (87%) of those cases in have occurred in Kanawha (59) and Putnam (28) counties, with Cabell at 10, and Boone, Jackson, Lincoln, Wayne and Wyoming counties having less than fivPe cases each.

This increase in cases has primarily been among IV and non-IV drug users, homeless or transient individuals, those who have been recently incarcerated, and are co-infected with hepatitis C. Viral sequencing has linked several cases with outbreaks in Kentucky and California.

Hepatitis A virus is excreted from the body through stool. It can live on surfaces for months. Individuals can get Hepatitis A from close personal contact with someone who has the illness, or from encountering food or surfaces and unknowingly ingesting even microscopic particles of contaminated human waste.

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Posted in Hepatitis A, outbreak, Uncategorized

UK Scotland – Annual Summary of Norovirus Infections, 2017

Posted on May 20, 2018 by | Leave a comment

HPS Scotland

Annual Summary of Norovirus Infections, 201715 May 2018

In 2017, HPS received 866 laboratory reports of norovirus (NV), a rate of 16.3 per 100,000. This was a decrease of 683 (44.1%) on the 1549 reports received in 2016 and was the lowest number of reports over the past 10 years (Figure 1). The average number of reports per year in the previous nine years had been 2013 reports, with a range of 1306 to 3109 reports.

Publisher(s)

  • Health Protection Scotland

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Posted in Hepatitis A, Uncategorized

USA – Employees at Two Louisville, Kentucky Restaurants Diagnosed with Hepatitis A

Posted on May 16, 2018 by | Leave a comment

Food Poisoning Bulletin

Employees at two restaurants in Louisville, Kentucky have been diagnosed with hepatitis A, a very contagious virus that affects the liver. Those employees worked with food at the Domino’s Pizza at 10000 Brownsboro Road, and at Old Chicago Pizza and Tap Room at 9013 Taylorsville Road.

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Posted in Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Microbiology, Food Safety, Hepatitis A, Uncategorized

Australia – Two hospitalised after eating recalled Creative Gourmet frozen pomegranate – Hepatitis A

Posted on May 10, 2018 by | Leave a comment

ABC Au

Two South Australians have been hospitalised with Hepatitis A, believed to have been caused by them eating Creative Gourmet frozen pomegranate.

The product was recalled from Coles last month but SA Health is reminding South Australians to make sure they do not have the product in their freezers.

SA Health food and controlled drugs director Fay Jenkins said nationally there have been 11 cases linked to the outbreak, with two in South Australia.

“There’s a lady in her 60s and she is quite unwell and she is in hospital. There is a younger gentleman [aged 33] … and he’s actually been discharged from hospital,” Dr Jenkins said.

Symptoms of Hepatitis A include nausea, vomiting, fever, yellowing of the skin, dark urine and pale stools.

The infection can take from 15 to 50 days to develop.

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Posted in Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Virus, Foodborne Illness, Hepatitis A, Uncategorized

Canada- Montana Brand Frozen Strawberries Recalled in Canada for Hepatitis A

Posted on April 30, 2018 by | Leave a comment

Food Poisoning Bulletin Hepatitis A kswfoodworld

Groupe Adonis Inc. Montana brand frozen strawberries are being recalled in Canada for possible hepatitis A contamination. The strawberries were sold exclusively from Adonis Markets in Quebec and Ontario. There have been illnesses reported to government officials that are associated with the consumption of this product.

The recalled product is Montana brand frozen strawberries in 1 kg packages. All codes that have been purchased on or before April 14, 2018 are recalled, with UPC number 6222000401487.

This recall was updated on April 20, 2018 with more product information. It was expanded to include the same product, with the same package size and UPC number, but with the addition of all codes purchased on or before April 20, 2018 now included.

Food that is contaminated with hepatitis A will not look, smell, or taste spoiled. Hepatitis A can be a serious illness for people with chronic health conditions, especially liver diseases.

If you bought these strawberries, don’t eat them. Throw them away in a sealed container, or take them back to the store where you purchased them for a refund. Wash your hands well with soap and water after handling this product.

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Posted in Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Virus, Hepatitis A, Uncategorized

USA – Two Businesses in Arkansas Had Food Handlers Work While Infected with Hepatitis A

Posted on April 26, 2018 by | Leave a comment

Food Poisoning Bulletin Virusds

If you have eaten at these establishments, it’s crucial that you get a vaccination against this pathogenic virus within two weeks of exposure. The shots are only good within that time frame.

The first business is the Flash Market/Subway at 105 North Missouri Avenue in Corning. That person worked between March 30 and April 17, 2018. If you ate there before April 11, it’s too late for a shot. All you can do is monitor yourself for the symptoms of this illness and see your doctor if they appear.

So far this year, 12 cases of hepatitis A infections have been reported in Clay County. Four of those cases were in food service workers. So the ADH recommends that all food service workers in that area be vaccinated against the illness.

The second business is the Doublebee’s gas station at 1003 Highway 63 in Walnut Ridge. That person worked between April 7 and April 18, 2018. If you ate there before April 11, it’s too late for a vaccination. Watch yourself for the symptoms of a hepatitis A infection and see your doctor if you get sick.

 

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Posted in Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Microbiology, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Virus, Hepatitis A, Uncategorized, Virus

Canada – Updated Food Recall Warning – Montana brand frozen strawberries recalled due to Hepatitis A

Posted on April 23, 2018 by | Leave a comment

CFIA Hepatitis A kswfoodworld

Recall details

Ottawa, April 20, 2018 – The food recall warning issued on April 14, 2018 has been updated to include additional distribution and product information. This additional information was identified during the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA) food safety investigation.

Phoenicia Group Inc. is recalling Montana brand frozen strawberries from the marketplace due to possible Hepatitis A contamination. Consumers should not consume the recalled product described below.

The ministère de l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation du Québec (MAPAQ) transmitted an alert to the news media on April 14, 2018 concerning the affected product. Please click on the following link for details: https://www.mapaq.gouv.qc.ca/fr/Consommation/rappelsaliments/2018/04/Pages/3682.aspx (French only).

Recalled products

Brand Name Common Name Size Code(s) on Product UPC
Montana Strawberry (frozen) 1 kg All codes purchased on or before April 20, 2018 6222000401487

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Posted in CFIA, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Hepatitis A, Uncategorized

USA – Hepatitis A cases in Charleston area linked multistate outbreak

Posted on April 22, 2018 by | Leave a comment

Outbreak News Today

The Kanawha-Charleston Health Department reports recent cases of acute hepatitis A occurring in Kanawha and Putnam counties have been linked to an ongoing, multistate Hepatitis A outbreak

Since January, more than 20 cases of Hepatitis A have been confirmed in Kanawha and Putnam counties. Prior to this outbreak, Janet Briscoe, KCHD director of epidemiology, called Hepatitis A cases rare in the region.

KCHD recently received notification specimens submitted to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as part of the local investigation match a specific genotype identified in the California and Kentucky outbreaks. The multistate outbreak, for the most part, is occurring in persons who use illicit drugs and who may be homeless or without a permanent residence. The disease spread may also be attributed to the lack of access to proper hygiene or sanitation.

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Posted in food bourne outbreak, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Hepatitis A, outbreak, Uncategorized

Europe – Multistate foodborne hepatitis A outbreak among European tourists returning from Egypt– need for reinforced vaccination recommendations, November 2012 to April 2013

Posted on April 18, 2018 by | Leave a comment

Eurosurveillance

A multistate outbreak of hepatitis A virus (HAV) among European travellers returning from Egypt occurred between November 2012 and April 2013. A total of 14 European Union (EU)-European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries reported 107 cases. Twenty-one cases from six countries were affected by strains of sub-genotype IB harbouring identical RNA sequences, suggesting a common source outbreak. An international outbreak investigation team interviewed a number of cases with a trawling questionnaire to generate hypotheses on potential exposures. Some of these exposures were further tested in a case–control study based on a more specific questionnaire. Both trawling and case–control questionnaires aimed to collect cases’ vaccination details as well as epidemiological information. Most cases participating in either questionnaire (35/43) had been staying in all-inclusive hotels located along the Red Sea. The case–control study found cases associated with exposure to strawberries or mango (multivariable analysis p value: 0.04). None of the 43 cases interviewed in any of the two questionnaires had been vaccinated. The most common reasons for non-vaccination was unawareness that HAV vaccination was recommended (23/43, 53%) and perceiving low infection risk in all-inclusive luxury resorts (19/43, 44%). Vaccination had not been recommended to five of the six cases who sought travel medical advice before travelling. Public health authorities should strongly reinforce measures to remind travellers, travel agencies and healthcare providers of the importance of vaccination before visiting HAV-endemic areas, including Egypt.

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Posted in Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Virus, Hepatitis A, Uncategorized, Virus