PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — New details have been released by Oregon health officials about the hepatitis A outbreak connected with frozen strawberry products produced by a Gresham-based company.
On Tuesday, the Oregon Health Authority said the agency is “working with federal partners to determine” if the frozen strawberry products produced by Scenic Fruit Company have resulted in any illnesses in the state.
So far, officials say five cases have been associated with the outbreak of hepatitis A and all cases have been reported in Washington state since March 13.
The cases happened between Nov. 11 and Dec. 27, 2022, and resulted in at least two people being hospitalized, according to officials.
OHA says its officials are monitoring the outbreak in Washington and are also interviewing people who have been diagnosed with hepatitis A to “determine if any have consumed frozen berries,” according to a press release.
The following products, store brands, UPCs, “best by” dates and the states the products were distributed in are as follows:
Brand Name | Product Name | Net Weight | UPC | Best By Date | Distributed in the following states |
Simply Nature | Organic Strawberries | 24 oz | 4099100256222 | 06/14/2024 | Arizona, Arkansas, California, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin |
Vital Choice | Organic Strawberries | 16 oz | 834297005024 | 5/20/2024 | Washington |
Kirkland Signature | Organic Strawberries | 4 lbs | 96619140404 | 10/8/2024 | Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Washington |
Made With | Organic Strawberries | 10 oz | 814343021390 | 11/20/2024 | Illinois, Maryland, |
PCC Community Markets | Organic Strawberries | 32 oz | 22827109469 | 29/10/2024 | Washington |
Trader Joe’s | Organic Tropical Fruit Blend Pineapple, Bananas, Strawberries & Mango | 16 oz | 00511919 | 04/25/24, 05/12/24, 05/23/24, 05/30/24, 06/07/24 | Nationwide |
“Since these products were available in Oregon stores, we want to let people know about them so they can take steps to protect themselves and their families,” Ann Thomas, M.D., M.P.H., a public health physician in OHA’s Acute and Communicable Disease Prevention Section, said in a statement. “At this point, OHA is carefully investigating any new cases of hepatitis A virus to determine if they are associated with the outbreak, but we have not yet been able to link any Oregon cases to these products.”
Thomas added that anyone who thinks they may have gotten sick from eating frozen strawberries bought at Costco or Trader Joe’s should contact their health care provider.