The Food and Drug Administration has recalled a particular brand of strawberries, FreshKampo or HEB, after reported cases of Hepatitis A in the U.S. and Canada.
The FDA, along with the CDC, the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, state, and local partners are investigating a multi-state outbreak of hepatitis A infections in the United States and Canada potentially linked to fresh organic strawberries purchased between March 5 and April 25, 2022.
While the potentially affected FreshKampo and HEB products are past shelf life, people who purchased FreshKampo and HEB fresh organic strawberries between the affected dates and then froze those strawberries for later consumption should not eat them.
These products were sold at the following retailers, including, but not limited to:
– Aldi
– Trader Joe’s
– Walmart
If you are unsure of what brand you purchased, when you purchased your strawberries, or where you purchased them from prior to freezing them, the strawberries should be thrown away.
If consumers purchased fresh organic strawberries branded as FreshKampo or HEB between March 5 and April 25, 2022, ate those berries in the last two weeks, and have not been vaccinated against hepatitis A, they should immediately consult with their healthcare professional to determine whether post exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is needed. PEP is recommended for unvaccinated people who have been exposed to hepatitis A virus in the last two weeks because vaccination can prevent a hepatitis A infection if given within 14 days of exposure. Those with evidence of previous hepatitis A vaccination or previous hepatitis A infection do not require PEP.
Contact your healthcare provider if you think you may have symptoms of a hepatitis A infection after eating these fresh organic strawberries, or if you believe that you have eaten these strawberries in the last two weeks.
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