The hepatitis A outbreak in Virginia associated with Tropical Smoothie Cafe has grown to include 102 people. All of those reported consuming a smoothie at Tropical Smoothie Cafe before they got sick. About 37% of those sickened in this outbreak have been hospitalized for their illness because they are so sick. The 102 ill persons range in age from 14 to 70. The onset of illness dates range from early May through September. The case count by region is: 59 Northern, 15 Northwest, 16 Eastern, 12 Central, 0 Southwest. The CDC says that at least 25 others are sick in this outbreak, which brings the nationwide total to 127. Epidemiologic and traceback evidence indicate that frozen strawberries imported from Egypt used to make the smoothies are the likely source of this outbreak. The … [Read more...]
CDC Updates Tropical Smoothie Hepatitis A Numbers
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated the hepatitis A outbreak linked to frozen strawberries that were served at Tropical Smoothie Cafe locations in several states. Their numbers as of September 14, 2016 are 119. But Virginia updated their numbers on September 16, 2016 from 94 to 98, which means there are at least 123 people sickened in this outbreak. The case count by state is: Arkansas (1), Maryland (12), New York (3), North Carolina (1), Oregon (1), Virginia (98), West Virginia (6), and Wisconsin (1). Forty-seven ill persons have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported. The hospitalization rate in this outbreak is at 39%, which is about double the usual hospitalization rate in a hepatitis A outbreak. There is no explanation for this number. … [Read more...]
Another Hawaii Restaurant Food Worker Diagnosed with Hepatitis A
The Hawaii state Department of Health says that another restaurant worker has been diagnosed with hepatitis A. That person worked at Ohana Seafood at Sam's Club at 1000 Kamehameha Highway in Pearl City, Oahu from August 29 through September 11, 2016. The hepatitis A outbreak that has been plaguing Hawaii for the last few months is not associated with this restaurant or any of the restaurants that have had a sick worker. The outbreak has been linked to scallops imported from the Philippines that were served raw at Genki Sushi restaurants. But anyone who ate at that restaurant during the time frame indicated may have been exposed to hepatitis A. If you ate there after September 2, 2016, you can get a hepatitis A or immune globulin vaccination, which is only effective if given … [Read more...]
Virginia Tropical Smoothie Hepatitis A Outbreak Grows to 85 Sick
The hepatitis A outbreak in Virginia, that is linked to Tropical Smooth Cafe strawberry products, has grown to include 85 people in that state alone, according to the Virginia Department of Health. That number is current as of September 12, 2016. Frozen strawberries imported from Egypt have been identified as the source of the virus. The patient age range is from 14 to 70 years old. Dates of illness onset range from early May through September. The count by region is: 48 Northern, 12 Northwest, 15 Eastern, 10 Central, 0 Southwest. About 40% of those sickened have been hospitalized because their illness is so serious. But there are people in this outbreak in other states who are sick too. According to the CDC, these are the case counts in other states: Maryland (10), New York (1), … [Read more...]
CDC Updates Tropical Smoothie Hepatitis A Outbreak Numbers
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has updated the number of those sickened in the hepatitis A outbreak linked to imported frozen strawberries sold at Tropical Smoothie Cafes in Virginia. Now, 89 people have been reported sickened in seven states. The case count by state is: Maryland (10), New York (1), North Carolina (1), Oregon (1), Virginia (70), West Virginia (5), and Wisconsin (1). Thirty-nine of those sickened have been hospitalized, and no deaths have been reported. Epidemiologic and traceback evidence indicates that frozen strawberries imported from Egypt are the likely source of this outbreak. Almost all of the ill persons interviewed in this investigation reported drinking smoothies made with strawberries at Tropical Smoothie Cafe locations before August 8, … [Read more...]
Tropical Smoothie Virginia Hepatitis A Outbreak Grows Again
The hepatitis A outbreak associated with imported frozen strawberries served at Tropical Smoothie Cafes in Virginia has grown again. Now 70 people in Virginia are sick with this viral illness. That is an increase of four patients from September 2, 2016. About 41% of residents for whom information is available have been hospitalized because their illnesses are so serious. The patient age range is from 14 to 68. Illness onset dates range from early May through August. The case count in Virginia by region is 39 Northern, 10 Northwest, 14 Eastern, 7 Central, and 0 Southwest. Tropical Smoothie Cafes stopped serving the berries, which were imported from Egypt, on August 8, 2016. That means that anyone who consumed smoothies that contained strawberries in Virginia locations … [Read more...]
FDA Collaborates with Egypt on Strawberry Hepatitis A Outbreak
The FDA is working with the Egyptian International Health Regulations National Focal Point about the investigation of strawberries that have been linked to a hepatitis A outbreak centered in Virginia. That outbreak, linked to Tropical Smoothie Cafes in that state, has sickened at least 70 people who live in 7 states. Public health officials are trying to identify all parts of the supply chain that brought the berries to the U.S. Government officials are "prohibited by law in most situations from releasing publicly certain confident commercial information about supply chains," according to the FDA notice on this outbreak. FDA has increased surveillance of imported strawberries as a result of this outbreak investigation and "will provide more information as it becomes available." FDA … [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...]
CDC Warns Consumers in Four States About Tropical Smoothies
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is warning consumers in four states to contact their doctors if they got sick after eating a strawberry smoothie from a Tropical Smoothie Cafe before August 8, 2016 in four states. Those states are Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and North Carolina. A hepatitis A outbreak is linked to the strawberries in those products. That outbreak has sickened at least 70 people who live in seven states. The case count by state is: Maryland (6), New York (1), North Carolina (1), Oregon (1), Virginia (55), West Virginia (5), and Wisconsin (1). In interviews, almost all of those sickened said they ate smoothies containing strawberries at Tropical Smoothie Cafe locations in those four states. Tropical Smoothie Cafe reported the Egyptian … [Read more...]
Hawaii Hepatitis A Outbreak Sickens 241
The Hawaii Department of Health released a new update on August 31, 2016, stating that the number of confirmed cases of hepatitis A in the outbreak linked to imported scallops has reached 241. That means 13 new cases have been identified in the last week. All of the cases have been in adults. Sixty-four people have required hospitalization because their illnesses are so serious. Ten people are the residents of the islands of Hawaii, Kauai, or Maui. Four of those sickened have returned to the mainland, and the rest live on Oahu. The illness onset dates range from 6/12/16 to 8/25/16. The Hawaii Department of Health is also no longer conducting the case control study because the outbreak source was found in mid-August. Frozen scallops imported from the Philippines and served at … [Read more...]
