Stuff
There have now been 23 cases of hepatitis A linked to the consumption of imported frozen berries.
Two additional cases of hepatitis A have been detected in the past week, linked to the recent imported frozen berry outbreak.
This brings the number of confirmed locally acquired cases linked to the outbreak to 23 in total, the Ministry of Health said on Thursday afternoon.
Of these, 11 (48%) have required hospital care.
As of Thursday, 17 cases have an identical sequence profile, indicating they likely came from the same source. Sequencing of the remaining six cases is pending.
READ MORE:
* Frozen berry recall: How do you know you’ve got hepatitis A and how is it treated?
* Frozen berry testing regime could be strengthened
* How to safely add frozen berries to your smoothies at home and avoid Hepatitis A risk
All 23 cases reported “significant” consumption of uncooked, imported frozen berries.
Hepatitis A is spread by contact with faeces from an infected person. It can be passed on through poor personal hygiene (such as when people don’t wash their hands properly), contaminated food and close personal contact.
In October, Pams – a New Zealand division of supermarket giant Foodstuffs – announced a voluntary recall of half a dozen imported frozen berry products from Serbia, as a precaution.
The outbreak is now three times the size of the most recent hepatitis A cluster (seven cases) linked to frozen Fruzio berries in 2015 – which also prompted a product recall.
RICKY WILSON/STUFF
Stuff senior health reporter Hannah Martin explains hepatitis A and the outbreak linked to imported frozen berries.
There were also foodborne hepatitis A outbreaks in 2008 (two cases) and 2010 (three cases), but the sources were unknown.
Officials continue to advise consumers to exercise care and take precautions by heat-treating all frozen berries to kill the virus.
Ways to do this include briefly boiling frozen berries before eating them or, if you have a food thermometer, ensuring cooking temperatures exceed 85C for one minute. Heated berries can be safely refrozen for later use.
Early symptoms of infection can be mistaken for the flu, and typically include nausea and stomach pain, with jaundice (yellow skin) appearing after a few days. Some people, especially children, may have no symptoms at all.
For more information on the products recalled, click here.
