The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has lowered the number of ill persons in the Townsend Farms-Costco Hepatitis A outbreak to 97, from 99 reported yesterday. Seventy-six people have been interviewed in this outbreak; 66 of them (87%) reported eating “Townsend Farms Organic Anti-Oxidant Blend” frozen berry and pomegranate mix before becoming ill. All those who ate this product and got sick purchased it from Costco markets. The product was also sold at Harris Teeter stores under that store’s brand name, but no one who got sick bought the product there.
Thirty-eight people have been hospitalized in this outbreak. That is 52% of the total of ill persons, which is quite a high number. Illness onset dates range from 3/16/13 to 6/1/13. The age range of patients is from 2 years to 87 years. Forty-nine, or 64%, of ill people are women.
The case count provided by the CDC seems to be off. They report 97 ill, but the count by state and their map detailing the outbreak lists only 82 patients. This is the information we have at this time: the number of ill patients by state include Arizona (12), California (42), Colorado (12), Hawaii (3), New Mexico (4), Nevada (5), and Utah (4).
Attorney Fred Pritzker and his Bad Bug Law Team have won millions for food poisoning victims and their families in personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits against food processors, retailers and restaurants. They are providing free consultations to hepatitis A victims and their families.
The map has not been updated. For example, Hawaii has 4 confirmed, 1 possible and several under investigation.
I don’t know why the CDC has incorrect counts on the map!