Four more illnesses have been reported in the hepatitis A outbreak linked to pomegranate seeds sold in the western U.S., bringing the total case count up from 143 to 147, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Tuesday. The newly recorded cases occurred in California, which reported one new case, and New Mexico, which reported three. The total numbers of illnesses by state are now as follows: Arizona (21), California (71), Colorado (28), Hawaii (8), New Mexico (8), Nevada (6), Utah (3), and Wisconsin (2).
The two people who fell ill in Wisconsin were exposed to the pomegranate seeds in California.The number of hospitalizations as a result of these illnesses remains at 63.
The seeds were sold as part of an organic frozen berry mix made by Townsend Farms of Fairview, OR, that was available at Costco under the Townsend Farms brand. All of the hepatitis A illnesses linked to this outbreak were linked to that frozen product; however, the seeds were also sold in a Townsend Farms frozen berry mix sold at Harris Teeter under the Harris Teeter brand and as frozen pomegranate kernels by Scenic fruit of Gresham, OR, although neither of these products have been linked to illnesses to date.For more information about all three of these recalled products, visit the CDC’s outbreak investigation page. The implicated pomegranate seeds are a product of Turkey, where they were exported to the U.S. by Goknur Foodstuffs Import Export Trading. While CDC says the outbreak is tapering off, it still expects new cases to trickle in, as the product linked to the outbreak is frozen and people may still have it in their freezers. Customers in possession of any of the recalled products should discard them or return them to their point of purchase.
