The hepatitis A outbreak in Hawaii that is linked to raw scallops imported from the Philippines has increased to 271 people sick. That is an increase of 19 new cases in the last week. All of those sickened have been adults. Sixty-eight people have been hospitalized because their illnesses are so severe. Onset of illness dates have ranged from 6/12/16 to 9/4/16. Investigators found the hepatitis A virus in raw Sea Port Bay Scallops from the Philippines that were served at Genki Sushi restaurants on Oahu and Kauai. The scallops were imported by Kohn Oriental Foods and distributed in that state. The scallops have been embargoed and are no longer being sold. But the incubation period of this illness is quite long, up to 50 days, and is easily spread person to person. That means this … [Read more...]
Genki Sushi Hawaii Restaurants Reopen After Hepatitis A Outbreak
The Hawaii State Department of Health has cleared Genki Sushi restaurants to open after a hepatitis A outbreak linked to frozen imported raw scallops sickened more than 250 people. The press release, issued on September 9, 2016, states that the establishments "completed extensive sanitizing of their facilities, disposal of potentially affected items, and medical screening of employees for Hepatitis A." Dr. Virginia Pressler, Health Director of the Hawaii State Department of Health said in a statement, "The management team of Genki Sushi restaurants on Oahu and Kauai has given us their full cooperation, and the department is confident that they are in compliance with all health regulations. Genki Sushi has been cleared by the Department of Health to reopen to the public." The … [Read more...]
Hawaii Hepatitis A Outbreak Stands at 252 Sick
The Hawaii Department of Health has updated their investigation into the hepatitis A outbreak in that state. As of September 7, 2016, 252 people have been sickened. That is an increase of 11 new cases since last Wednesday. All of the cases have been in adults. Sixty-six people have required hospitalization because their illnesses are so severe. Illness onset dates have ranged between 6/12/16 to 8/30/16. On August 15, 2016, the government identified raw scallops, imported from the Philippines, that were served at Genki Sushi restaurants on Oahu and Kauai as a likely source of the outbreak. The product, Sea Port Bay Scallops (Wild Harvest, Raw Frozen) was distributed by Koha Oriental Foods. Because the incubation period of this particular virus can be so long, and because the virus … [Read more...]
Zippy’s Restaurant Employee in Oahu has Hepatitis A
The Hawaii Department of Health is confirming that a food service worker at Zippy's Restaurant in Oahu has been diagnosed with hepatitis A. That is the eighth restaurant with a contagious food service worker, in the middle of a large hepatitis A outbreak. The restaurant is located at 950 Kamokila Boulevard in Kapolei, Oahu. None of the restaurants involved are linked to the outbreak. The source was confirmed as frozen scallops, served raw at Genki Sushi restaurants in Hawaii, that were imported from the Philippines. But the virus is very contagious. Any time a food worker is diagnosed with the illness, a large segment of the public could have been exposed to the virus. The worker was at Zippy's restaurant on August 14, 2016, and August 18 to the 19th, 2016. Anyone who ate or … [Read more...]
Hawaii Scallop Hepatitis A Outbreak Sickens 228
The hepatitis A outbreak in Hawaii linked to imported frozen raw scallops has now sickened 228 people, according to an update by the Hawaii Department of Health. That is an increase of 22 cases since last week. All of the cases have been in adults. Fifty-eight people have been hospitalized because the illnesses are so severe. Illness onset dates have ranged from 6/12/16 to 8/16/16. There will probably be more cases identified in the coming weeks, since the incubation period for the virus is 2 weeks to 50 days, and the the product believed responsible for the outbreak stopped being sold in mid-August. The source of the outbreak is focused on Oahu. Public health inspectors found that raw scallops served at Genki Sushi restaurants on the islands of Oahu and Kauai were the likely … [Read more...]
How Does Hepatitis A Get on Strawberries?
The hepatitis A outbreak in Virginia that is linked to strawberries imported from Egypt and allegedly used in smoothies sold at Tropical Smoothie Cafe locations in that state is raising questions about how the virus is transmitted. The hepatitis A virus is very hardy and contagious. But how does it get on fruit? In 2013, a large nationwide hepatitis A (HAV) outbreak sickened at least 165 people. Those illnesses were linked to Townsend Farms frozen berries that were sold at Costco stores. Traceback investigations found that pomegranates in that product, imported from Goknur, Turkey, were the source of the virus. The genotype of hepatitis A in that outbreak was very rare on the American continent, but common in the Middle East. The food and drinks that are most likely to be … [Read more...]
Another Hawaiian Airlines Flight Attendant Has Hepatitis A
Another Hawaiian Airlines flight attendant has tested positive for hepatitis A, according to the Hawaii State Department of Health. Anyone who traveled on the flights where that person worked may have been exposed to the virus. The flight attendant served food and beverages to passengers on these flights: Flight HA22 from Honolulu, Hawaii to Seattle, Washington on July 31, 2016; Flight HA21 from Seattle, Washington to Honolulu, Hawaii on August 1, 2016; Flight HA18 from Honolulu, Hawaii to Las Vegas, Nevada on August 10, 2016; and Flight HA17 from Las Vegas, Nevada to Honolulu, Hawaii on August 12, 2016. If you were on the August 10 or August 12 flights you can still get a vaccination against the hepatitis A virus. Vaccinations are only effective if given within two weeks of … [Read more...]
FDA Finds Hepatitis A in Sea Port Products Scallops
The FDA has found hepatitis A in two samples of Sea Port Products Corporation scallops that are at the center of the outbreak in Hawaii. On August 17, the analysis came back positive. The samples were collected on August 11, 2016. The tests were the result of a hepatitis A outbreak in Hawaii that has sickened at least 206 people. Fifty-one people are hospitalized because their illnesses are so severe. That outbreak has been ongoing since the June 12, 2016 and more cases are being diagnosed each week. The FDA is supporting the Hawaii Department of Health in the investigation. Those scallops were distributed to California, Hawaii, and Nevada but were not sold directly to consumers; they were sold to restaurants and other facilities. Yesterday, Sea Port issued a voluntarily recall … [Read more...]
Another Hawaii Food Worker Has Hepatitis A; Outbreak Grows
The Hawaii State Department of Health has confirmed another case of hepatitis A in an Oahu food service worker, according to a press release put out by the governor. That person is an employee at Hokkaido Ramen Santouka restaurant at 801 Kaheka Street in Honolulu. The employee worked July 21 to 23 and 26 to 30, and August 2 to 6 and 9 to 11, 2016. If you visited that restaurant on those dates, you may have been exposed to hepatitis A. You can be vaccinated against the illness if you were there after August 4, 2016. If not, all you can do is monitor yourself for the symptoms of the illness. State Epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Park said, "even though we've identified and work to confirm the likely source of the overall outbreak, we may continue to see new cases with hepatitis A … [Read more...]
Scallops At Center of Hawaii Hepatitis A Outbreak
The imported scallops at the center of the Hawaii hepatitis A outbreak that were served raw at Genki Sushi restaurants were imported from the Philippines. Hawaii Department of Health officials have named the brand as Sea Port Bay Scallops. The scallops are wild harvested in the Philippine Bay, frozen, and distributed. Yesterday, the DOH stated they are conducting a case control study to determine what food items served at a "local restaurant" have led to the outbreak. A survey has been posted for anyone who ate at Genki Sushi restaurants on the islands after April 23, 2016 and have not been sick with hepatitis A. Officials will select some survey participants for phone interviews. This outbreak has sickened at least 168 people; 46 of them have been hospitalized because their … [Read more...]
