Hepatitis A outbreak: EFSA coordinates trace-back investigation
EFSA has coordinated an investigation to trace food items connected with a multinational outbreak of hepatitis A. Since January 2013, more than 1,440 hepatitis A cases have been reported in 12 European countries, with 331 cases confirmed by genotyping A method of visualising one or more genes in a living organism. It is often used as a means to understand a particular trait.
Laboratory testing of food items and interviews with affected people identified consumption of mixed frozen berries as the source of the outbreak. Bulgarian blackberries and Polish redcurrants have been identified as the most common ingredient Any substance deliberately added to a foodstuff which will remain in the finished product, even in an altered form in the contaminated lots and in the food consumed by affected people. No single point source of contamination could be identified but 12 food operators were identified that were linked to cases and lots in five of the affected countries. Further investigations at the local level are needed to identify where the suspect berries were harvested and the conditions at these harvest or production sites.
As contaminated berries could still be circulating in the food chain, EFSA re-emphasises the need for enhanced surveillance, risk communication The interactive exchange of information and opinions throughout the risk analysis process, including the explanation of risk assessment findings and the basis of risk management decisions. The levels of interactive exchange include: the dissemination of public information about risks to consumers or other affected groups; the dialogue within and between risk assessment and risk management; engagement with interested parties affected by risk analysis outcomes., vaccination and further research in the area of public health. EFSA also recommends good hygiene, manufacturing and agricultural practices in berry producing countries.
The working group was composed of microbiologists, public health and food safety experts from France, Ireland, Italy, Norway, the Netherlands, Poland and Sweden, specialists on tracing analysis from the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment A specialised field of applied science that involves reviewing scientific data and studies in order to evaluate risks associated with certain hazards. It involves four steps: hazard identification, hazard characterisation, exposure assessment and risk characterisation and experts on food-borne outbreak investigations from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
This scientific report follows several Rapid Outbreak Assessments on the status of hepatitis A published by EFSA and ECDC.