1. Thirty people have been infected with Hepatitis A, and nine of them
hospitalized, in an outbreak across five states traced to an organic frozen
berry mix sold at Costco.
And health officials are bracing for more cases if cafes and restaurants that
bought the frozen blend used it to make smoothies, frozen bar drinks and
other desserts for customers.
The Food and Drug Administration and federal Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention have linked the reported illnesses to Townsend Farms
Organic Anti-Oxidant Blend, a mix of berries and pomegranate seeds
produced by Townsend Farms in Oregon.
The first victim got sick on April 29 with the most recent case reported on
May 17, although USA Today reports more are expected.

2. The victims, aged between 25 and 71 years old, live in Colorado, New
Mexico, Nevada, Arizona and California.
About 11 of 17 of those infected said they bought the berry mix at Costco,
according to CNN.
A Costco spokesman said that the company has removed the product from
stores and is attempting to contact members who purchased the product in
recent months.
Townsend Farms lawyer Bill Gaar said the frozen organic blend bag
included pomegranate seeds sourced from Turkey, and were only used in
the product associated with the outbreak.
'We do have very good records, we know where the (pomegranate seeds)
came from, we're looking into who the broker is and we're sourcing it back
up the food chain to get to it,' Mr Gaar said.
He said Townsend Farms believes Costco is the only customer who bought
the product but are checking to see if any other retailers also sold it.

3. The outbreak has been traced to a type of pomegranate seeds from Turkey
that are in the Townsend Farms fruit mix, Gaar said. The mix contains
pomegranate seeds and other produce from Argentina, Chile and the
United States, according to the label.
"There is no indication that cherries and other berries are contaminated,"
Gaar said.
State health departments, the Food and Drug Administration and the CDC
continue to investigate. The company was notified about the outbreak back
in May by the CDC, which sent investigators to the Townsend Farms
processing plant in Fairview, Oregon, Gaar said.
Hepatitis A is usually transmitted via contaminated food or water, or by
someone who's infected, according to the Mayo Clinic website. Frequent
hand-washing is recommended to limit the spread of hepatitis A.
The highly contagious infection inflames the liver and limits its ability to
function.

4. "Mild cases of hepatitis A don't require treatment, and most people who are
infected recover completely with no permanent liver damage," the Mayo
Clinic website says.
Severe cases can lead to liver failure and death, according to the World
Health Organization.
There are an estimated 1.4 million cases of hepatitis A annually worldwide,
according to WHO.