Many people contracted the Hepatitis A virus after consuming contaminated frozen strawberries.
Based on the recent reports from the State Department of Health in Indiana, many people have been infected with hepatitis A after consuming frozen strawberries. More precisely, the contaminated fruits were served in 8 restaurants in Hendricks, Marion, and Hamilton counties.
Customers consumed the recalled contaminated strawberries in the past 14 days. The public health officials are currently conducting a comprehensive investigation, so there is also the possibility that the virus has spread to other counties.
Residents who consumed any foods containing strawberries in one of the above-mentioned counties starting from November 1st are strongly recommended to contact the Health Department for further instructions.
The public health officials in the Marion County offer a hotline at (317) 221-5503 starting from today between eight am and five pm. Residents can call this number for additional information and other questions related to the recall.
Also, residents of the Hendricks County can reach a public health representative at (317) 745-9222 from eight am to four pm. Fortunately, no nursing homes or schools in Indiana have been contaminated.
According to Dr. Jerome Adams, State Health Commissioner, “Hepatitis A is a severe illness, and we know many people might be concerned about whether they were exposed through frozen strawberries.”
He further adds that the safety and health of residents in Indiana come first, so the agency has joined their forces with other federal and local organization to the find out the place where the frozen strawberries were first distributed.
Also, public health officials will double their efforts the reduce the risks of infection and prevent other residents from contracting the Hepatitis A virus. While this condition causes a serious liver inflammation, the common symptoms include fever, abdominal pain, lack of appetite, diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, and jaundice or yellowing of the eyes and skin.
Hepatitis A is difficult to eradicate because the incubation period ranges between two day and two months. Sometimes, the disease is asymptomatic,and it can be transmitted through unwashed hands and stool contact, but the second is less likely to occur.
This outbreak has quickly spread across the United States after many people consumed contaminated frozen strawberries imported from Egypt.
Image Source: NBC News
