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WARNING: Hepatitis A found in Western Family brand pineapple chunks
Published 9:40 PDT, Fri September 1, 2017
Last Updated: 2:12 PDT, Wed May 12, 2021
A warning was issued late Friday afternoon by the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) that Hepatitis A virus has been found in a sample of Western Family brand fresh pineapple chunks sold in ready-to-go cups.
Sold in stores throughout the province, the product was sold in the Richmond PriceSmart Foods at 8200 Ackroyd Rd. and at
Save-on-Foods in Ironwood shopping centre.
Current information indicates the cups were produced
on Aug. 11 and distributed to 38 Save-On-Foods, Overwaitea Foods and
PriceSmart Foods stores in BC. The Richmond Sentinel's Facebook page contains a
list of stores that might be affected.
According to BCCDC, the fruit cups may have
been on sale from Aug. 11 and have a best before date of Aug.19.
“The investigation is ongoing,"BCCDC further said in a press release. "Other products are believed to be affected and more information will be provided as it becomes available.”
As a service to the community, BCCDC says,
A
free hepatitis A vaccine is available at any Overwaitea banner stores including
Save-On-Foods, PriceSmart Foods, Overwaitea Foods and Urban Fare. Shoppers should direct their queries to the pharmacist at
any of these stores for more information.
Hepatitis A is a viral infection of the liver that can not only make a person very ill, it can cause ongoing problems and is highly infectious.
Even before symptoms develop, a person can be contagious and it spreads very easily. The symptoms do not always appear at the time of infection and can occur almost two months after the date of infection.
According to BCCDC: “Hepatitis A is an
infection caused by a virus that affects the liver. The virus is found in the
stool of an infected person. It is spread when a person eats food or drinks
water that has come in contact with infected stool. Infected food handlers can pass the virus on to other people
if they do not wash their hands with soap and water after using the bathroom.
If you think you have been exposed, talk to
your doctor, avoid preparing food for others, and ask about the Hepatitis A
vaccine. It can help you if you get (the vaccine) within 14 days of exposure to Hepatitis
A.
“Hepatitis A symptoms include yellow skin or eyes, loss of appetite, fever, tiredness, stomach ache, nausea, dark coloured urine, and light or whitish coloured bowel movements,"BCCDC says. "Symptoms can also be so mild that a person may not be aware that they have the disease. Illness can last for several weeks but people generally recover completely. Illness may be life threatening in the elderly or those with other chronic liver disease. Symptoms may develop 15-50 days after exposure.”
While no illnesses have been reported to the
BCCDC by people who may have eaten these pineapple chunks, the provincial
centre advises:
• If you consumed this product on Aug. 18 or later, you should receive a dose of hepatitis A vaccine.
• If you develop symptoms of Hepatitis A, contact your family doctor and
local health unit office immediately.
• Consumers who have frozen the product should
discard it.
See the list below for a free Hepatitis A vaccine in your
health authority, if you consumed the product within the last 14 days:
Fraser Health:
http://www.fraserhealth.ca/hepAclinics
Interior Health:
https://www.interiorhealth.ca/pages/default.aspx
Island Health:
http://www.viha.ca/about_viha/news/news_releases/NR_HepatitisA_westernfamily_pineapple_1sept2017
Northern Health:
https://www.northernhealth.ca/YourHealth/HealthAlerts/CommunicableIllnessDisease.aspx
Vancouver Coastal Health:
http://www.vch.ca/about-us/news/Hep-A
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