An outbreak of potentially deadly hepatitis A has been linked to sun-dried tomatoes.
Health experts fear contaminated samples could still be on sale as it is not known which brand of sun-dried tomatoes is responsible and they are unable to carry out tests on the food.
Seven people have developed symptoms of the infectious and potentially fatal disease. The victims include two men and five women from the east of England, London and the south west, the Telegraph reports.
Four of them were hospitalised by the illness but have now been given the all-clear.
The alarm was raised late last year when two cases were reported to the Health Protection Agency.
The strain of hepatitis A that has been identified is identical to that of a previous outbreak in the Netherlands associated with sun-dried tomatoes.
A spokesman for the Food Standards Agency told the Telegraph: “Sun-dried tomatoes are being investigated as one possible source of the hepatitis A cases. However, no food source has been conclusively identified and no other relevant cases have been reported in the UK.”
Writing in the medical journal Eurosurveillance, Carlos Carvalho, of the HPA, said: “A single food source may be contaminated with more than one strain.
“A food-borne outbreak with multiple strains in at least two European countries is suspected.”
What is hepatitis A?
Hepatitis A is an infection of the liver caused by the hepatitis A virus, which leads to inflammation of the liver.
How do you catch it?
Hepatitis A is usually caught when someone ingests something that has been contaminated by the faeces of an infected person – for example, when someone with hepatitis A prepares food without properly washing their hands.
The infection can also be passed through contaminated drinking water or through shellfish that have been contaminated with sewage.
What are the symptoms?
The duration and severity of hepatitis A symptoms vary from case to case. Some people have no symptoms at all while others develop flu-like symptoms, such as tiredness, headaches, fever, aches and pains. Other symptoms may include loss of appetite, abdominal pains or jaundice.
Hepatitis A is usually a short-term infection and is rarely serious. Many people recover within a couple of months without treatment.
In rare cases, hepatitis can be fatal due to severe liver inflammation, leading to liver failure.
How is it treated?
There is no medical treatment for hepatitis A but most people recover within a couple of months by resting and avoiding alcohol. In some cases, patients will be admitted to hospital to receive fluids though a drip.