The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have updated the Townsend Farms-Costco Hepatitis A outbreak again today. There are still 118 cases in eight states, but the number of people hospitalized has increased. Fifty-four people have now been hospitalized for acute Hepatitis in this outbreak. Sixty-eight ill people are women. No deaths have been reported. Eighty percent of the ill persons interviewed ate the recalled Townsend Farms Organic Anti-Oxidant Blend frozen berry and pomegranate mix before becoming ill. All of the ill persons bought the product at Costco. It was sold under the Harris Teeter brand name, but no ill persons bought the product at Harris Teeter. The case count maps and epidemiological curves still have inaccurate numbers. But we know that the patients that … [Read more...]
Costco-Townsend Farms Hepatitis A Lawsuit Update: Lawyer Pursues Victim Compensation
Several hepatitis A lawsuits have been filed against Costco Wholesale Corporation, a Washington company, and Townsend Farms, Inc., an Oregon company. These suits seek compensation for victims of an outbreak of hepatitis A infections linked to Townsend Farms Organic Antioxidant Blend frozen berries sold at Costco stores. To date, 47 people have been hospitalized, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). "We are seeking compensation for our clients who were diagnosed with hepatitis A after eating Townsend Farms berries," said Fred Pritzker, an attorney representing people from several states. "Hepatitis A is a dangerous pathogen, and these contaminated berries should never have reached the market where they could sicken over 100 people." This outbreak started … [Read more...]
Townsend Farms-Costco Hepatitis A Outbreak Updated Again by CDC
The Centers for Disease Control (in what has become an almost daily occurrence) has updated its investigation into the multistate outbreak of Hepatitis A "potentially associated" with Townsend Farms Organic Antioxidant Blend frozen berry and pomegranate mix sold at Costco. Now 99 people in 8 states are sick; 44 people have been hospitalized. The case count maps and epidemiological curves the CDC is providing are out of date; we are showing them to indicate the possible trajectory of the outbreak. The case patients live in Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Washington state. Since 51% of ill people have been hospitalized, this is a serious infection. All of those infected purchased the product from Costco. It's also sold at Harris Teeter stores under … [Read more...]
Townsend Farms-Costco Hepatitis A Outbreak Reduced to 97 Ill
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 … [Read more...]
Hepititis A Lawyers File Lawsuit against Costco and Townsend Farms
Attorney Fred Pritzker of Pritzker Hageman law firm is the lead lawyer in a lawsuit filed against Townsend Farms and Costco Wholesale Corporation on behalf of an Arizona man (Plaintiff). He allegedly contracted hepatitis A from Townsend Farms Organic Antioxidant Blend mixed berries with pomegranate seeds. The suit was filed in the United District Court for the District of Arizona (Case 2:13-cv-01181-ROS). The Pritzker Hageman law firm is also representing hepatitis A victims in other states who are part of the multistate hepatitis A outbreak associated with Townsend Farms Organic Antioxidant Blend sold at Costco. To date, the CDC has confirmed outbreak cases in Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Washington. "This morning the CDC updated its outbreak … [Read more...]
Hepatitis Risk For Canadians Who Bought Townsend Berries From Costco
About 1,200 Canadians who bought frozen mixed berries from Costco stores in the U.S. are at risk of hepatitis A infection, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada. Most of them live in British Columbia and Alberta and purchased Townsend Farms Organic Antioxidant Blend frozen berry and pomegranate mix from U.S. Costco stores on the west coast. The contaminated berries, which have sickened almost 80 people in the U.S., were not sold in Canada. Hepatitis A is a liver disease that causes illness that can last a few weeks or several months. Symptoms, which generally appear two to seven weeks after exposure include: fatigue, nausea, vomiting, fever, dark urine, clay-colored stools and yellow skin or eyes. Not everyone infected with hepatitis shows symptoms. Canadian public health … [Read more...]
Costco-Townsend Farms Hepatitis A in California Prompts Lawsuits
California has been hard hit by the hepatitis A outbreak associated with frozen mixed berries sold at Costco which now includes 87 people in eight states, according to the latest update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In California, 38 people have been sickened by the virus that contaminated the frozen berry mix sold as Townsend Farms brand Organic Antioxidant Blend at Costco stores and Organic Antioxidant Berry Blend at Harris Teeter stores. Some of them have filed lawsuits. The Californians who are part of this outbreak are all adults and are from 16 cities. All of them reported eating Townsend Farms Organic Antioxidant Blend purchased from Costco before becoming ill, according to California public health officials. Seventeen of them have been … [Read more...]
Costco-Townsend Farms Hepatitis A Outbreak Grows, Lawsuits Filed
The Costco-Townsend Farms hepatitis A outbreak continues to grow. There are now 87 CDC-confirmed cases of acute hepatitis A infections that may be linked to eating Townsend Farms Organic Antioxidant Blend frozen berry mix sold at Costco stores. The CDC numbers include people sickened in eight states: Arizona, California Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Washington. To date, lawsuits have been filed in Arizona and California. The CDC has epidemiological information on 68 of the outbreak victims. These people answered questions about their illness and the food they ate in the weeks leading up to their illness. What the CDC found was that of these 68, 45 (66%) are women, the ages of those sickened are from 2 – 84 years, and 46 (70%) reported eating “Townsend Farms Organic … [Read more...]
Townsend Farms Hepatitis A Lawsuits Seek Compensation for Personal Injury
To date, four lawsuits have been filed against Townsend Farms Corporation on behalf of people who contracted hepatitis A infections after eating Townsend Farms Organic Antioxidant Blend mixed berries with pomegranate seeds purchased at a Costco store. These people are part of an outbreak of hepatitis A that has sickened over 70 people in Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Washington. The lawsuits seek compensation for hospital and other medical expenses, lost wages and other income, physical pain and other personal injury damages. Three of the hepatitis A lawsuits have been filed in California and one in Arizona. "Ultimately, there will be lawsuits filed in all of the states where people were sickened," said attorney Fred Pritzker, who is representing … [Read more...]
Townsend Farms Hepatitis A Outbreak Includes Four in New Mexico
The hepatitis A outbreak associated “Townsend Farms Organic Antioxidant Blend” frozen berry and pomegranate mix has sickened 79 people in eight states including four in New Mexico, according to state health officials. The New Mexico cases include a 51-year-old man and a 54-year-old man, both from Bernalillo County, a 54-year-old man from Sandoval County, and a 41-year-old woman from Santa Fe County. “We want to make sure people who have eaten this product within the last 14 days know that they can avoid illness by receiving a hepatitis A vaccination or immunoglobulin,” said Department of Health Cabinet Secretary Retta Ward, MPH in a statement. “Many local pharmacies have the hepatitis A vaccine and it is covered by a number of insurance plans. Local health care providers may also have … [Read more...]
