CDC Reports the End of the Investigation on the Hepatitis A Outbreak Linked to Fresh Blackberries.
The investigation on the Hepatitis A Outbreak Linked to Fresh Thyme Farmers Market was announced as over by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on February 19, 2020. The CDC worked with the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) and along with local and state officials to investigate the multi-state outbreak linked to Fresh Blackberries. According to the most recent update by the CDC, a total of 20 people were affected by the Hepatitis A outbreak in 7 states with the last case being reported on November 15, 2019.
As part of their traceback investigation, the CDC interviewed those affected by the outbreak, 19 reported cases stated that they had eaten blackberries 2 to 7 weeks before becoming ill and 16 of them stated that they had purchased the blackberries from either Fresh Thyme Farmers Market or Woodman’s Market. Although no official recall was announced the FDA did announce on December 3, 2019, warning everyone who had purchased fresh, conventional blackberries from September 9 through September 30, 2019, from Fresh Thyme Farmers Market stores to dispose of them as they might have been contaminated. In the FDA’s final traceback investigation report, it was stated that no single common source of fresh conventional blackberries could be identified.
The CDC has officially reported the investigation as over but they are still advising people who might have purchased fresh and later frozen blackberries during the time of the outbreak to dispose of them for their safety. The six states in which people reported eating the blackberry products were: Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, and Wisconsin. Consumers who bought the blackberries at that time and experienced symptoms of Hepatitis A such as fatigue, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, jaundice (yellow eyes and skin), dark urine, diarrhea, and clay-colored stools should contact their medical health providers.
Hepatitis A is a viral infection caused by the hepatitis A virus (HAV) and results in severe liver disease and sickness. A person usually becomes sick 15 to 50 day’s consumption of the food or beverage containing the HAV virus. According to a National Hepatitis A Lawyer, Ron Simon, many people are diagnosed upon arrival at a hospital because the medical staff can see yellowing eyes or skin and the easiest way to test for HAV is through a simple, and usually inexpensive, Hepatitis A screen.
For more information on the Hepatitis A outbreak linked to Fresh Thyme Farmers Market Blackberries, to speak to a Hepatitis A Lawyer, or to inquire about a Hepatitis A Lawsuit, call 1-800-335-4901.
https://www.wbay.com/content/news/568016751.html
https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/outbreaks/2019/hav-berries/index.htm
