A food company has recalled berries after a hepatitis A outbreak which officials said is linked to packaging company in China.
Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported that the recall of the frozen berries may only be the beginning of the story as the incubation period for hepatitis A is around 50 days. Therefore the number of cases could rise.
"We do expect to see more cases," said Sonya Bennett, senior director of Queensland state's communicable diseases unit.
Reuters noted that after at least nine people were diagnosed with hepatitis A, Patties Foods Ltd recalled packets of Nanna’s and Creative Gourmet Mixed Berries on Sunday.
The outbreak is said to be linked back to the food supplier in China, where poor working conditions have long been a problem.
"The particular risk that we've identified here is that a country that has endemic hepatitis A, that is China, has been involved with packing these berries," Finn Romanes, the health department's senior medical adviser.
"Clearly there's strong evidence that there may have been a contamination during the packing process as they are fully sealed and then transported to Australia," he added.
Hepatitis A is a form of viral hepatitis transmitted in food. It can cause fever as well as jaundice and is highly contagious.
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