Health

COVID, Monkeypox And Now Hepatitis: FDA Warns Of New Outbreak Linked To Strawberries

(Photo by FREDERIC SCHEIBER/AFP via Getty Images)

Dylan Housman Deputy News Editor
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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned Saturday of a hepatitis A outbreak potentially linked to organic strawberries.

The two health agencies, along with their equivalents in Canada, announced they are investigating a multistate outbreak of the virus in the United States and Canada. It is believed the outbreak is connected to organic strawberries labeled as FreshKampo and HEB purchased between March 5 and April 25, the FDA said in a release.

The products were sold at a number of popular retailers, including Aldi, Kroger, Safeway, Trader Joe’s and Walmart. Seventeen cases have been identified in the United States between California, Minnesota and North Dakota. Twelve of those cases have resulted in hospitalization, but there have been no deaths recorded, according to the FDA. (RELATED: Outbreak Of Monkeypox Linked To Massive Festival For The ‘Gay Fetish Community’)

Hepatitis A can be spread by consuming contaminated food or water or by close contact with an infected individual. Severity can range from mild illness lasting a few weeks to severe illness lasting months, and in some cases death resulting from liver failure, according to the FDA. Symptoms include fatigue, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and dark urine. The virus can sometimes by asymptomatic in young children. Symptoms typically begin between 15 and 50 days after exposure to the source of infection.

The healthcare agencies said those who are unsure of when or where they purchased their strawberries should throw them away.