Hepatitis A: What is it?

Five people who ate frozen berries have contracted hepatitis A, sparking a national recall. Source: AAP

WHAT BERRIES HAVE BEEN RECALLED?

ALL 1kg packs of Nanna's Frozen Mixed Berries, which are imported from China and distributed in Australia by Patties Foods. Patties is also recalling all 300g and 500g packs of Creative Gourmet Mixed Berries.

WHAT IS HEP A?It's a viral disease that affects the liver.HOW DO YOU CATCH IT?It's spread by consuming food and drink that has been contaminated by faeces from an infected person.HOW IS HEP A DIAGNOSED?It's easy to diagnose hep A through a blood test.WHAT IS THE INCUBATION PERIOD?The average incubation period is 30 days, but you can fall ill anywhere between 15 and 50 days after catching the virus.WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?Fever, nausea, abdominal discomfort, dark urine, yellow skin and eyes.HOW LONG DO SYMPTOMS LAST?Several weeks, after which most people will experience a full recovery from the virus.WHAT TO DO IF YOU HAVE IT?Go to the doctor. Keep your hands clean and don't prepare food for others.A, B OR C?Hep A, B and C are caused by different viruses, are spread in different ways and require different treatments.PREVIOUS OUTBREAKS OF HEP A IN AUSTRALIA?There was a large outbreak of hep A linked to the consumption of raw oysters in NSW in 1997.A large outbreak in 2009 was associated with semidried tomatoes.WHO GETS THE HEP A VACCINATION?The hep A vaccination is recommended for travellers to developing countries.It's also given to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in north Queensland, child daycare and pre-school workers and certain health care professionals.