How to Reduce the Risk of Hepatitis A from Strawberries: Precautions and Symptoms

Strawberries are delicious and full of benefits, but once their season begins, so does the season of hepatitis A epidemics. Because pathogens exist everywhere around us, so food can inevitably be at risk of infection. Even if the exact causes of the infection of strawberries with hepatitis A are not always known, it is good to know what we can do, in order to take the appropriate precautions.

Last year, several people became ill with hepatitis A after eating strawberries bought from a chain of hypermarkets in the US and Canada.

In 2023, several hepatitis A outbreaks were linked to frozen strawberries, also in the US. It is about organic strawberries, which were later withdrawn from the shelves, he announces CDC.

“Unfortunately, we all have to live with the knowledge that there will be pathogens and viruses around us that can contaminate our food. There is no company immune to pathogens,” said the professor Darin Detwilerlast year, in the context of the outbreak of hepatitis A following the consumption of strawberries.

What type of strawberries have a higher risk of hepatitis A contamination

What is particular about infected strawberries is that they are often “ready to eat”, packed and washed so that the consumer can eat them directly. Since they are not cooked thermally and, besides, many people choose to consume them without washing them, then there is a greater risk that a person will get hepatitis A.

If the virus reaches the strawberry, it means that it has survived on the surface of the fruit. The virus probably arrives from the hands of those who packed them or if the water with which they were washed – before packaging – was contaminated.

What you can do to reduce the risk of contamination

Those who heat or wash strawberries well have a chance to remove the virus from the fruit and thus avoid contracting hepatitis A. Unfortunately, however, these do not guarantee removal of the virus.

So washing strawberries properly is a good idea, but it does not completely protect you from infection, because the surface of strawberries is very delicate, it is not smooth and easy to clean, notes the professor.

Experts warn consumers to wash even the strawberries packaged as “ready to eat”. This rule applies to all fruits, including blueberries, grapes or berries.

Also, the “organic” label does not protect the fruit from contamination, experts remind.

Symptoms of hepatitis A

Hepatitis A is an infection of the liver caused by the highly contagious hepatitis A virus. Most people are vaccinated, so they are not harmed if they come into contact with the virus.

The CDC says that a person who has come into contact with the virus can choose to get the vaccine as well, and after 2 weeks to check for antibodies.

The symptoms of the infection appear between 15 and 50 days from the moment they came into contact with the virus. Symptoms include: exhaustion, loss of appetite, stomach pain, nausea, dark urine, vomiting and yellowing of the skin.

Symptoms differ in intensity from person to person and last from a few weeks to two months without long-term liver damage.

In rare cases, the condition can become chronic and in this case it can lead to liver failure and death. Older people and those with compromised immune systems are at greater risk of developing more severe cases of hepatitis A.

Children under the age of 6 with hepatitis A have no symptoms at all, most often.