Frozen blueberries imported from Serbia have recently been linked to a hepatitis A outbreak in New Zealand that has affected at least 15 people.
Hepatitis A virus exclusively infects humans, with infection almost always acquired by eating food or drinking liquids that have been contaminated with faeces from a person who themselves has relatively recently become infected. The disease is most common in parts of the world where there is poor sanitation and widespread consumption of untreated water.
The Ministry of Primary Industries announced that frozen Serbian berries were being investigated due to a probable link. According to Vincent Arbuckle, Deputy General of New Zealand Food Safety, eight of the 12 cases were connected by genetic sequencing, indicating that they were most likely exposed to the same source of the virus. Foodstuffs recalled six Pams branded frozen berries earlier this month as a precaution.
Pams Frozen Mixed Berries 500g, Pams Frozen Two Berry Mix 1kg, Pams Frozen Two Berry Mix 750g, Pams Frozen Smoothie Berry Mix 500g, Pams Raspberries 500g, and Pams Raspberries 350g were among the berries that w ere recalled. Contamination was presumed to have occurred during picking or processing on the farm where there were inadequate toilet facilities for workers in the fields.
Food Safety NZ’s advice to consumers remains to continue to exercise care and take precautions at home by heat treating frozen berries to kill the virus. New Zealand Food Safety said tracing the illness back to specific products was a challenging process, especially as Hepatitis A had a long incubation period of up to 50 days.
Another hepatitis A outbreak in New Zealand in 2015 was caused by imported frozen blueberries and impacted five persons. In other nations, blueberries have been linked to illnesses caused by a variety of different gastrointestinal microorganisms such as listeria, salmonella, and Escherichia coli.
As a precaution, people were advised to continue cooking frozen imported berries while the examination was ongoing.
According to a Foodstuffs representative, Customers who had already purchased the berries should boil them or return them to the store for a full refund, according to a Foodstuffs representative.