There's a health crisis taking a toll on Australia after the discovery that there are frozen berries tainted with hepatitis A, as almost ten people have been diagnosed with the disease after having consumed a particular brand of the frozen fruit coming from China.
Apparently, the crisis was at first only directed at Nanna's frozen mixed berries, but now the Australian authorities have extended it to Creative Gourmets, in an attempt to keep the frozen berries situation under control, with more and more people contracting the disease and a possible lawsuit on the way after creating such a major health crisis.
According to Mashable, Patties Food, a company from Victoria, Australia, has recalled Nanna's 1 kilogram mixed frozen berries with the tag of "best before November 22, 2016," after eight people have been positively diagnosed with the disease.
Hepatitis A is a viral disease that primarily affects the liver, and it can be spread with oral contact with foods, drinks and other objects that have been in touch with someone infected with the virus - and poor hygiene can make matters worse.
The New Zealand Herald reports that, even though the frozen berries situation has only affected Australia so far, the neighboring country could be in danger as well, as the scare on the matter becomes more and more widespread in the region. Currently, the New Zealand government is closely monitoring any imports of the frozen fruits, even though the Ministry for Primary Industries has confirmed that the recalled Chinese products weren't imported to NZ.
According to Australian ABC, it seems like the frozen berries have been tainted with hepatitis A due to several factors, most notably poor hygiene amongst the workers in the China factories and the possibility of contaminated water supplies where the berries are packaged.
The Sydney Morning Herald is advising victims of the scandal not to throw out the frozen berries, as they can serve as proof if the case reaches courts.
