The Townsend Farms-Costco Hepatitis A outbreak linked to imported pomegranate seeds from Turkey has grown to include 143 sick, according to the CDC. So far, 62 people have been hospitalized. There have been no deaths.
The outbreak case count by state is: Arizona (21), California (69), Colorado (28), Hawaii (8), New Mexico (6), Nevada (6), Utah (3), and Wisconsin (2). Illness onset dates range from 3/31/13 to 6/24/13. All of the sick people reported purchasing the product from Costco markets. The age range of patients is from 1 to 84 years.
The CDC and FDA have determined that the most likely source of the virus is a shipment of pomegranate seeds from Goknur Foodstuffs Import Export Trading, a company in Turkey. That product is being detained by the FDA when it is offered for import into the U.S. Townsend Farms has recalled its product, and so has Scenic Fruit Company, which sold the pomegranate seeds packaged separately.
If you purchased any of these products, contact your doctor to see if a vaccination is right for you. And monitor yourself for the symptoms of hepatitis A, which include fever, nausea, diarrhea, light colored stool, dark colored urine, yellow eyes and skin, tiredness, loss of appetite, and abdominal cramps.
