Western Australia’s Department of Health says it is inevitable more people will contract hepatitis A after eating now recalled brands of contaminated frozen berries.
Health authorities have confirmed a person living in WA contracted hepatitis A after consuming the Nanna’s brand of frozen mixed berries, which were somehow contaminated with fecal matter at a packing plant in China.
More than a dozen people across Australia have so far been infected with hepatitis A after eating the frozen berries sourced from China.
The Federal Department of Agriculture has written to Chinese authorities demanding assurances that measures are in place to prevent further contamination of frozen berries.
Health Department communicable diseases director Paul Armstrong would not reveal details of the WA victim, other than to confirm they are an adult.
Dr Armstrong said he was certain more people in WA would test positive to hepatitis A over the coming days, given how widely available the product was.
He said up to 2 per cent of the Australian population could have eaten the berries in the past couple of weeks.
“It’s transported right across the country, it’s sold throughout the big department stores, the big grocery stores and it’s eaten very widely,” he said.
“Anybody in the country who has eaten those berries is at risk.”
School warns parents of berries used in canteen
At least one Perth school has emailed parents warning them that Nanna’s frozen raspberries have been used in products sold at its canteen.
In the email, Deanmore School principal Jeanette Metcalf wrote: “We would like to advise parents that Nanna’s raspberries have been used at the Deanmore Canteen in cooked muffins and yoghurts.
“All recalled products have been disposed as per the advice of Food Standards Australia and New Zealand.”
The Education Department has contacted WA schools, advising them to discard any of the frozen berry products involved in the scare and to monitor the Department of Health’s website.
“If students have consumed or may have consumed any of these products, you should inform parents and advise them to monitor their children’s health for symptoms of hepatitis A,” the department said in an email to schools.
“If parents have any concerns about their children’s health please advise them to contact their medical practitioner immediately.
“Any student with hepatitis A must be excluded from school for the period advised by their medical practitioner.
“As hepatitis A can be passed from person to person, or through food or water contaminated with the virus, please review your health procedures (such as hand washing) to reduce the spread of infection.”
Dr Armstrong said there was a clear link between the WA victim’s diagnosis and their consumption of the Nanna’s berries.
“In all the cases so far, those people have eaten this particular brand of berries,” he said.
“Those people who do get sick normally will recover in one to two weeks, but sometimes it takes quite some time after that before they’re completely well.
“Some will end up in hospital and a very small portion will actually die, around one in 1,000.”
Vaccine offered to victim’s family
Dr Armstrong said all of those who tested positive to hepatitis A in Australia consumed the Nanna’s mixed berries or raspberries.
He said the Creative Gourmet branded mixed berries were packed in the same Chinese factory and had been recalled as a precaution.
WA Health epidemiologist Gary Dowse said members of the ill person’s family had since been given a vaccine.
“Clearly this person developed an illness, they went to their family doctor and their doctor was astute enough to make the diagnosis,” he said.
“Hepatitis A is unusual because it has quite a long incubation period, it can range from about two to seven weeks.
“Theoretically if people ate their berries last week, it could be another six weeks before they would know if they were out of the danger zone.
“Initially people will just start to feel a little weak and off their food, they may get a fever, they may be nauseous, they may have some pain in their tummy.
“Then over another week or so they might develop dark urine, then develop yellowing of the whites of their eyes in their skin.
“On the law of averages, most people will be fine — only a very small proportion of people who have eaten the berries are likely to get sick.”
A total of 20 people tested positive to hepatitis A in Australia last year, with the majority having consumed contaminated food or water overseas.