Outbreak of Hepatitis A under investigation
An outbreak of hepatitis A is currently under investigation in Ireland. Ten cases of hepatitis A virus infected with the same strain have been identified since April. It is likely that these cases have all been infected by the one food item. The source of the outbreak is under investigation by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre, in collaboration with the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, the National Virus Reference Laboratory and the Health Service Executive.
Italian authorities have reported an outbreak due to the same strain of hepatitis A virus as that identified in Ireland. The Italian outbreak has been linked to consumption of imported frozen berries.
Further information:
- Information on hepatitis A is available from www.hpsc.ie
- Food safety advice is available from www.fsai.ie
- ECDC Rapid Risk Assessment - http://ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications/Publications/ROA-update_HAV_Italy_Ireland-final.pdf