64-year-old woman’s death linked to frozen fruit recall
<p>A South Australian woman who contracted hepatitis A from eating a frozen pomegranate product that was recalled from supermarket freezers two months ago, has died.</p>
<p>After NSW Health found a link between the fruit and several hepatitis A cases, the product was immediately recalled.</p>
<p>The chief medical officer and chief public health officer in South Australia, Professor Paddy Phillips, revealed that the 64-year-old woman died last Wednesday.</p>
<p>“This is a rare and tragic case and I offer my sincere condolences to the woman's family," Professor Phillips said.</p>
<p>"The majority of people infected with hepatitis A recovered fully and the woman's death is the only death linked to this recalled product nationally to date.</p>
<p>"The incubation period for hepatitis A is generally 15-50 days, so we don't anticipate further cases because the product was recalled two months ago.</p>
<p>“While we expect most people would have disposed of the recalled product, we urge everyone to double-check freezers and remove any affected products.”</p>
<p>On April 7, there was a nationwide recall of Creative Gourmet’s frozen pomegranate and Coles removed the product from freezers.</p>
<p>The imported product resulted in 24 Aussies being diagnosed with hepatitis A.</p>
<p>Symptoms of hepatitis A include fever, loss of appetite, diarrhoea, nausea, abdominal pain, dark-coloured urine and jaundice.</p>
<p>Entyce Food Ingredients, the company that imported the frozen fruit, claimed the contamination was an isolated incident.</p>
<p>“Consumers can be confident that the recalled product Creative Gourmet Frozen Pomegranate Arils 180g is an isolated one and no other Creative Gourmet products are affected,” it said.</p>
<p>“The recall affects less than one per cent of the Creative Gourmet fruit sold annually in Australia.”</p>
