People Are Getting Hepatitis A From Costco Products
Maybe just get the fresh fruit? At least thirty people have contracted Hepatitis A from a Costco frozen berry and pomegranate mix, and although the product has been pulled from shelves, officials are bracing themselves for more outbreaks linked to restaurants that purchased the product.
The outbreak is derived from a Townsend Farms Organic Anti-Oxidant Blend Frozen Berry Mix product, and so far cases have been reported in Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona, and California. Health officials say that the mix is often used in restaurants to make smoothies, frozen bar drinks, and desserts.
The CDC says this strain of hepatitis is common in North Africa and the Middle East, but rarely seen in the United States. The frozen berries were apparently sourced from the United States, Argentina, Chile, and Turkey. The same hepatitis strain was involved in a 2013 Europe outbreak and a 2012 Canada outbreak. Both outbreaks were also tied to frozen berry blends.
