Costco Frozen Berries Linked to 49 Cases of Hepatitis A

Public health departments across seven states have identified at least 49 people with acute hepatitis A that may have been caused by contaminated frozen berries sold by Costco. 

Cases of the infectious disease have been reported by seven states: Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Hawaii, and California. Around 60 percent of those infected are women, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The youngest of the ill is 2 years old and the oldest is 71. Illness onset dates range from April 29 to May 24. Around 880 bags of the berries have been sold in Contra Costa County in the past month, according to Contra Costa Health Services spokeswoman Kate Fowlie, and one 62-year-old east Contra Costa County woman was hospitalized and has since recovered.

The “Townsend Farms Organic Anti-Oxidant Blend” frozen berry and pomegranate mix has been recalled from Costco shelves and customers are advised not to consume the product. The product was also sold at Harris Teeter stores. Even if some of the berries have been eaten and no one in the household has become ill, the CDC says that the rest should be discarded. 

Hepatitis A symptoms can appear two and six weeks after consumption and can include fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dark urine, joint pain, pale stool and jaundice.

Anyone who consumed the frozen berries in the last two weeks and has never been vaccinated against Hepatitis A should monitor for symtoms, says CDC, and contact their health care provider to find out if a vaccination is warranted

Those who have been fully vaccinated for Hepatitis A are immune from contracting the disease, according to health officials.

Did you buy or eat the Costco frozen berries? Share your experience, concerns and questions in the comments.