County officials are warning residents they may have been exposed to Hepatitis A infection by eating frozen strawberries at two restaurants in Plainwell and Wayland.
The Allegan County Health Department was alerted that an ongoing recall of the fruit imported from Egypt—not sold to grocery stores—is connected to a nationwide outbreak of the virus.
“At this point, there are no cases of Hepatitis A in Allegan County related to these contaminated frozen strawberries,” said health officer Angelique Joynes. She did, however, say the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development listed two restaurants in Allegan County as “possible servers” of the contaminated fruit, Salvino’s in Plainwell and Salvino’s Ristorante in Wayland.
“If you have eaten an item containing strawberries at these locations (since approximately Oct. 21), you should receive the Hepatitis A vaccination, if not previously vaccinated” Joynes said. “If it has been longer than 14 days, you should be aware of the symptoms of Hepatitis A and, if you become ill, contact your health care provider.”
Find a list of other locations in the state at this link.
The health department issued the following recommendations:
• Persons who may have consumed frozen strawberries at any of the commercial food service establishments listed on the website should consult with their health care professional.
• The Hepatitis A vaccine is recommended to persons that have consumed these frozen strawberries in the last two weeks (as of Nov. 4). Hepatitis A vaccine is not routinely given to people like the Hepatitis B vaccine. If you are unsure if you have been vaccinated against Hepatitis A, contact your health care provider or Allegan County Health Department at (269) 673-5411 to check your immunization records.
• People who have Hepatitis A symptoms should see their health care professionals. These symptoms may include fatigue, fever, nausea, abdominal pain, jaundice—yellowing of the eyes and skin—dark urine and pale stool. The onset of illness is within 15 to 50 days of exposure to the Hepatitis A virus, with an average incubation of 28 to 30 days.
• Frequent hand washing with soap and warm water after using the bathroom, changing a diaper or before preparing food is the best way to help prevent the spread of Hepatitis A.
Joynes said the health department would provide more information as it becomes available. Information on Hepatitis A is available at www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/HAV/index.htm.
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