For the last few days at least 5 people in Australia were diagnosed with hepatitis A after eating packed berries, prompting recalls from two companies.
The patients were from New South Wales and Victoria. Although they come from different places, they are tied to one thing: they had eaten Nanna's mixed berries sold in the market at 1 kilogram. The company issued a recall.
Later, however, another brand selling berries, Creative Gourmet, also called on the same thing for their berries packed in 300 grams and 500 grams since they have been processed by the same facility as Nanna's.
Upon investigation, the main culprit can be traced back to China. The packed berries in Australia, especially those that come from Patties Foods, come in two locations: Chile and China.
But lately Patties started receiving the berries from the factory in China, located in the province of Shandong.
The health ministry then believed that the poor hygiene and contaminated water used during the processing of these berries may have caused the hepatitis A virus to thrive.
People who eat the berries then acquire the virus. Hepatitis A is different from other types of hepatitis, B and C. The latter two are chronic and are irreversible, although they may be managed with proper treatment.
Hepatitis A is acute, which means it may develop suddenly, and is cured. But patients still need immediate treatment to avoid suffering from liver failure, which is often the cause of death of hepatitis A patients. Other symptoms of the disease include jaundice, nausea, and lack of appetite.
Patients may be treated with a vaccine given twice a year, at least 6 months apart, for maximum protection.
Meanwhile some reports suggest that Patties may be severing their relationship with the China-based factory, which remains unnamed, and are working on addressing the health problem promptly.
The health department of New South Wales expects the number of cases to increase as more people will have themselves tested of the virus.
