County Hepatitis A Case Linked to Frozen Berries

A case of Hepatitis A in Santa Clara County is being linked to a multi-state outbreak being investigated in connection with Townsend Farms Organic Antioxidant Blend of frozen berries sold at Costco stores, the Santa Clara County Public Health Department said in a press release this afternoon.

A 22-year-old woman from Santa Clara County was hospitalized in late May after she became ill with Hepatitis A. 

She had consumed the frozen berry blend that was purchased from Costco. She has since been released from the hospital and is recovering well. 

The SCCPHD continues to work with the California Department of Public Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other local health departments regarding the multi-state Hepatitis A outbreak. 

More than 30 people in five states, including California, have become ill with Hepatitis A after consuming Townsend Farms Organic Antioxidant Blend.  

Costco has since taken the product off its store shelves. Consumers who have the product at home should throw it away. 

Symptoms of Hepatitis A can show up between two and six weeks after consuming the product. Common symptoms include fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dark urine, clay-colored bowel movements, joint pain, and yellowing of the skin and white parts of eyes (jaundice).

People who get sick, even with mild symptoms, after eating the berries should contact their health care provider. 

People who have been vaccinated against Hepatitis A are protected.

The vaccine can be protective from developing illness if given within two weeks of eating the product.   

Most children have been vaccinated, but children under the age of six often do not show symptoms.      

For the latest information for Santa Clara County:www.sccphd.org  

—Contributed by the Santa Clara County Public Health Department