Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Hepatitis Outbreak in Hawaii Linked to Raw Scallops

Raw sea scallops served at a sushi restaurant in Hawaii are being blamed for over 200 cases of Hepatitis A.  This is one of the largest Hepatitis A cases in the US in the last 20 years.

While sushi grade seafood must be frozen in order to kill parasites, this freezing process will not eliminate bacteria and viruses. 

The scallops are reported to have been sourced from the Philippines.

Hawaii Dept of Health
DOH NEWS RELEASE: Hawaii Department of Health orders embargo of frozen imported scallops and closure of Genki Sushi restaurants on Oahu and Kauai
Posted on Aug 16, 2016 in Latest News
 
HONOLULU – Based on evidence gathered and analyzed during an extensive investigation spanning almost two months, the Hawaii State Department of Health has determined a strong association between a majority of the cases in the Hepatitis A outbreak first announced by the department on July 1, 2016. Investigation findings implicate frozen imported scallops served raw at Genki Sushi Restaurants as the likely source of Hepatitis A infection.
 
“After determining the strong probable link between the majority of cases, the department immediately notified Genki Sushi Restaurants, ordered the embargo of the frozen scallop product, and the closure of all Oahu and Kauai facilities,” said Health Director Dr. Virginia Pressler. “The business has complied with all orders, contacted all of their Hawaii restaurants, and is working with the department to ensure the safety of its customers. Our staff is in the field today working with distributors to embargo the product.”
 
Department of Health has ordered the embargo of all frozen scallop products distributed by Koha Oriental Foods and True World Foods in Hawaii. An embargo of products restricts their use, sale or distribution. Because Genki Sushi Restaurants on Oahu and Kauai had received, handled and served the product, the establishments were ordered to close immediately. Koha Oriental Foods had supplied the product to Genki Sushi Restaurants on Oahu and Kauai. The frozen imported scallop product recently began to be distributed also by True World to Genki Sushi restaurants on Maui and Hawaii Island. Although there have been no cases related to these recent shipments, given the uncertainty of the safety of the product, all scallop products sent to these restaurants were embargoed as the department continues its investigation.
 
“Genki Sushi in Hawaii has a history of good compliance with food safety regulations which includes good employee hygiene,” said Peter Oshiro, Sanitation Branch Chief. “We will continue to work with Genki Sushi Restaurants to ensure their safe operation after the investigation is completed.”
 
Product tracing is being conducted to locate all potentially contaminated products. DOH has also been in contact with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Hawaii office to investigate the product origin. Food products imported from outside the state are regulated by the U.S. FDA.
 
“We are gratified to uncover this major piece of the investigation,” said State Epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Park, “my staff have been persistent and tireless in their search for clues to prevent new cases and put an end to the outbreak. Our investigation continues, as we work to confirm our findings and ensure contaminated product is no longer in circulation and the risk of transmission is eliminated.”
 
Genki Sushi Restaurants on Oahu and Kauai will remain closed until the Department of Health can ensure their safe operation. All frozen scallop products from distributors Koha Oriental Foods and True World Foods are being restricted and will be destroyed to prevent any further illness.
 
Anyone who consumed products, specifically scallops, prepared or served at Genki Sushi on Oahu or Kauai should consider contacting their healthcare provider about the possibility of receiving a vaccine or immune globulin (IG). A statewide list of vaccination locations is available at www.health.hawaii.gov. Individuals who ate at these restaurants longer than two weeks ago, should monitor their health for 50 days after their exposure and consult their doctor if they develop symptoms of hepatitis. All persons should practice thorough hand washing.
 
# # #
 
MEDIA CONTACTS:
 
Jonathan Hilts
 
Disease Outbreak Control Division
 
Phone: (808) 587-6596
 
 
 
 
Hawaii News Now
Hepatitis A outbreak linked to tainted scallops at Genki Sushi eateries
Tuesday, August 16th 2016, 12:49 am EDTTuesday, August 16th 2016, 11:50 pm EDT
By HNN Staff
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) -
 
A growing Hepatitis A outbreak that's sickened nearly 170 people in the islands has been linked to frozen, "wild harvest" scallops from the Philippines served raw at Genki Sushi eateries on Oahu and Kauai.
 
Updated: Tuesday, August 16 2016 10:06 PM EDT2016-08-17 02:06:58 GMTAug 16, 2016 10:06 PM EDTAug 16, 2016 10:06 PM EDT
 
Workers at Genki Sushi locations on Oahu and Kauai spent Tuesday disinfecting everything from kitchen equipment to counter tops, following the announcement that scallops served raw at the popular chain were the likely source of a growing Hepatitis A outbreak.More
 
Workers at Genki Sushi locations on Oahu and Kauai spent Tuesday disinfecting everything from kitchen equipment to counter tops, following the announcement that scallops served raw at the popular chain were the likely source of a growing Hepatitis A outbreak.More
 
Updated: Tuesday, August 16 2016 6:44 PM EDT2016-08-16 22:44:24 GMTAug 16, 2016 6:44 PM EDTAug 16, 2016 6:44 PM EDT
 
The Hepatitis A outbreak in Hawaii that’s sickened at least 168 people, including several food service workers, is prompting calls from state health officials to be vigilant about the symptoms of the disease.More
 
The Hepatitis A outbreak in Hawaii that’s sickened at least 168 people, including several food service workers, is prompting calls from state health officials to be vigilant about the symptoms of the disease.More
 
Updated: Friday, August 12 2016 12:59 AM EDT2016-08-12 04:59:50 GMTAug 12, 2016 12:59 AM EDTAug 12, 2016 12:59 AM EDT
 
Food establishments with employees who have been infected with Hepatitis A say they're taking a hit because of the stigma associated with the growing outbreak. More
 
Food establishments with employees who have been infected with Hepatitis A say they're taking a hit because of the stigma associated with the growing outbreak. More
 
Updated: Wednesday, August 10 2016 12:13 AM EDT2016-08-10 04:13:13 GMTAug 10, 2016 12:13 AM EDTAug 10, 2016 12:13 AM EDT
 
There are close to 50 people working to track down the source of Hawaii's Hepatitis A outbreak but state epidemiologist Sarah Park says it's not enough.More
 
Eleven of the popular chain's eateries have been shut down, ordered to throw away all of their food and disinfect from floor-to-ceiling.
 
On Tuesday afternoon, the Health Department identified the product of concern as Sea Port Bay Scallops, distributed by Koha Oriental Foods to Genki Sushi restaurants on Oahu and Kauai.
 
Distributor True World Foods had the same type of scallops and was set to send them to Genki Sushi eateries on Maui and the Big Island, but health inspectors were able to impound the tainted product at an Oahu warehouse before it was distributed.
 
Washington state-based Sea Port Production Corp. says on its website that the wild-caught Philippine Bay scallops are harvested primarily in the southwestern region of Masbate. Divers catch the scallops, and shuck them onshore.
 
Koha Oriental Foods said Genki Sushi was the only client that bought the tainted product, and the distributor has since changed where it gets scallops.
 
"We are caught right in the middle," said Dane Nakamura, of Koha Foods.
 
"We haven't sold this product to other sushi or other establishments. This is only Genki, and we provided all that information to the Department of Health, and maybe that's what really narrowed them down to Genki and that one product."
 
Genki Sushi 'shocked' over tainted scallops
 
The state Health Department announced Genki Sushi's link to the outbreak on Monday afternoon, shortly after ordering the chain to close down its 10 locations on Oahu and one on Kauai.
 
Dr. Sarah Park, state epidemiologist, said anyone who ate at Genki Sushi on Oahu and Kauai in the last two weeks should consult a healthcare provider, and seek a vaccine. For customers who ate at Genki Sushi more than two weeks ago, it's too late to get a vaccine to protect against getting sick. Instead, they should monitor their health for at least 50 days.
 
The Oahu and Kauai restaurants closed abruptly during the dinner hour Monday to prevent any further illnesses and protect the public.
 
Mary Hansen, chief administrative officer at Genki, said company officials were "shocked" to hear that the eateries were linked to the outbreak.
 
"Genki Sushi cares about our customers health and safety. We immediately complied with the order," she said, in a Tuesday news conference.
 
Customers caught off guard
 
But some customers were concerned that Genki Sushi employees didn't tell them why they were closing Monday.
 
Brenda Garcia was at Genki Sushi in Pearl City when an employee came by to tell customers that the eatery was closing down, and to "just finish up your food order."
 
Patrons were also being turned away at the door. The customers said they weren't notified that it was because of the Hepatitis A outbreak.
 
"Nobody said anything," said customer Charly Borce, adding that employees instead told him there was a problem with the eatery's sushi conveyor belt. "They were just saying that the belt was broken. But still get guys eating there so I don't know."
 
Other customers leaving the Kaneohe location said they were shocked that they hadn't been told.
 
Hawaii News Now asked a Kaneohe supervisor why diners weren't being told what was happening, who said employees had only been informed by upper management that they needed to close.
 
On Tuesday, health officials said the restaurants were not required to notify their customers of the reason for the closure.
 
Eateries get top-to-bottom cleaning
 
At Oahu and Kauai locations on Tuesday, Genki Sushi employees were scrubbing surfaces high and low, and throwing out food stock and single-use products.
 
Peter Oshiro, Health Department sanitation branch chief, said the eateries were told to sanitize and disinfect everything, and stress the importance of hand-washing among employees.
 
Food inspectors are visiting the 11 locations Tuesday. The eateries will begin to open as soon as they've complied with the Health Department's orders.
 
"Genki Sushi in Hawaii has a history of good compliance with food safety regulations, which includes good employee hygiene," Oshiro said. "We will continue to work with Genki Sushi restaurants to ensure their safe operation after the investigation is completed."
 
Tracking down the source
 
The state's Hepatitis A outbreak, one of the largest in the nation over the last two decades, has confounded state health officials for two months.
 
The first cases were announced July 1, but officials now believe the outbreak started as early as April 15. As of last week, the outbreak has sickened a confirmed 168 people; 46 have required hospitalization.
 
State health officials have said they struggled to find the source of the outbreak, despite scores of people working on the problem, because of the long incubation period. They hinted that the source may never be found.
 
But they had a breakthrough thanks to a survey for all Hawaii households aimed at tracking the population's dining out and shopping habits.
 
The survey found that about 23 percent of households had eaten recently at a Genki Sushi restaurant, but at least 70 percent of those who had fallen ill ate there recently. No other eatery or grocery store had a similar result.
 
"Because of the survey, we were able to determine that there was a distinct difference of eating habits at Genki compared to the regular population," Park said. "But our investigation is not over yet. We know that while the majority are associated with Genki, we don't know where the small minority may have also consumed the product."
 
Hepatitis A outbreaks rare
 
Complicating the search for the source of the outbreak was that Hepatitis A outbreaks have become far less common than in previous decades, thanks to a widely-available vaccine and more stringent food regulations.
 
The last outbreak of Hepatitis A in the United States happened in 2013, and was linked to frozen pomegranate seeds from Turkey. Some 162 cases nationally were linked to that outbreak; eight cases in Hawaii were reported, according to the CDC.
 
In 2014, the latest year for which data is available, there were about 2,500 cases of Hepatitis A in the United States, the CDC said.
 
The largest Hepatitis A outbreak in the United States over the last two decades happened in 2003, when 935 people across several states got sick. The outbreak was eventually linked to green onions.
 
Hepatitis A is usually spread via contaminated food or water. Symptoms include fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, abdominal discomfort, dark urine, diarrhea, and yellow skin and eyes.
 

FDA Outbreak Investigation
FDA Investigates Outbreak of Hepatitis A Illnesses Linked to Raw Scallops
 August 19, 2016 
 
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state and local officials are investigating an outbreak of hepatitis A illnesses linked to raw scallops.
 
Fast Facts
The FDA and CDC are supporting the Hawaii Department of Health (DOH) in an investigation of hepatitis A virus (HAV) infections linked to scallops supplied by Sea Port Products Corp. On August 17, 2016, Hawaii Department of Health reported that 206 people have been confirmed to have become ill with hepatitis A in that state.
On August 17, 2016, the FDA, Hawaii DOH, CDC and state partners informed Sea Port Products Corp that epidemiological, laboratory and traceback information indicates their scallops are the likely source of illnesses. On August 18, 2016, Sea Port Products Corp initiated a voluntary recall of frozen Bay Scallops produced on November 23, 2015 and 24, 2015. The products were distributed to California, Hawaii, and Nevada. The FDA is working with the recalling firm to ensure their recall is effective and that recalled product is removed from the market.
Restaurants and other retailers should not sell or serve the recalled Bay Scallops. The recalled products were not sold directly to consumers. FDA advises consumers not to eat the recalled Bay Scallops. Consumers should ask the restaurant or retailer where their scallops came from to make sure they do not eat recalled Bay Scallops from Sea Port Products Corp.
 
What is the Problem and What is Being Done About It?
 
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are supporting the State of Hawaii in an investigation of hepatitis A illnesses linked to raw scallops.
 
According to the Hawaii Department of Health (DOH), 206 people have been confirmed to have become ill with hepatitis A. Illnesses started on dates ranging from June 12, 2016 to August 9, 2016. All cases have been in adults and 51 have required hospitalization.
 
The FDA’s traceback investigation involved working with Hawaii DOH to trace the path of food eaten by those made ill back to a common source. The traceback investigation determined that Sea Port Products Corp imported the scallops that were later supplied to certain Genki Sushi locations in Hawaii, where ill people reported eating.
 
On August 17, 2016, FDA laboratory analysis of two scallop samples, which were collected on August 11, 2016, were confirmed positive for hepatitis A. These samples were imported by Sea Port Products Corp.
 
The FDA, CDC and state partners immediately informed Sea Port Products Corp that epidemiological, laboratory and traceback information indicates their scallops are the likely source of illnesses. On August 18, 2016, Sea Port Products Corp initiated a voluntary recall of frozen Bay Scallops produced on November 23, 2015 and 24, 2015. The products were distributed to California, Hawaii, and Nevada. The recalled products were not sold directly to consumers. The FDA is working with the recalling firm to ensure their recall is effective and that recalled product is removed from the market.
 
What is Hepatitis A?
 
Hepatitis A is a contagious liver disease that results from infection with the Hepatitis A virus (HAV). It can range in severity from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a severe illness lasting several months. Hepatitis A is usually spread when a person ingests fecal matter — even in microscopic amounts — from contact with objects, food, or drinks contaminated by the feces of an infected person (fecal-oral route).
 
What are the Symptoms of Hepatitis A?
 
Illness occurs within 15 to 50 days of exposure and in adults includes fatigue, abdominal pain, jaundice, abnormal liver tests, dark urine and pale stool.
 
Who is at Risk?
 
Hepatitis A is a disease that originates in and is spread by people, rather than animals. It can occur when an infected food handler prepares food without appropriate hand hygiene. However, food (as is suspected in this outbreak) or water contaminated with HAV can cause outbreaks of disease.
 
In rare cases, particularly in patients with pre-existing severe illness or who are immunocompromised, HAV infection can progress to liver failure and death. People who have underlying liver conditions or pre-existing severe illness, or who are immunocompromised, should be vaccinated for HAV.
 
What Specific Products were Recalled?
 
On August 18, 2016, Sea Port Products Corp initiated a voluntary recall of frozen Bay Scallops produced on November 23, 2015 and 24, 2015. The products were distributed to California, Hawaii, and Nevada. The recalled products were not sold directly to consumers.
 
What Do Restaurants and Retailers Need To Do?
 
Retailers and other food service operators should not sell or serve the recalled products. These operations should also:
Wash and sanitize display cases and refrigerators where potentially contaminated products were stored.
Wash and sanitize cutting boards, surfaces, and utensils used to prepare, serve, or store potentially contaminated products.
Wash hands with hot water and soap following the cleaning and sanitation process.
Retailers, restaurants, and other food service operators who have processed and packaged any potentially contaminated products need to be concerned about cross contamination of cutting surfaces and utensils through contact with the potentially contaminated products.
 
What Do Consumers Need To Do?
 
Water, shellfish, and salads are the most frequent foodborne sources of hepatitis A. You can avoid Hepatitis A transmission from seafood by thoroughly cooking it. Hepatitis A can be transmitted from person to person. Consumers should always practice safe food handling and preparation measures. Wash hands, utensils, and surfaces with hot, soapy water before and after handling food. Consumers should thoroughly wash their hands after using the bathroom and changing diapers to help protect themselves from hepatitis A, as well as other foodborne diseases.
 
Consumers should ask the restaurant or retailer where their scallops came from to make sure they do not eat recalled Bay Scallops from Sea Port Products Corp.
 
The FDA has provided information on selecting and serving fresh and frozen seafood safely. Some people are at greater risk for foodborne illness and should not eat raw or partially cooked fish or shellfish. These susceptible groups include:
  • Pregnant women
  • Young children
  • Older adults
  • Persons whose immune systems are compromised
  • Persons who have decreased stomach acidity
 
If you are unsure of your risk, ask your healthcare provider.
 
Who Should be Contacted?
 
Contact your healthcare provider if you think you may have become ill from eating raw scallops.
 
The FDA encourages consumers with questions about food safety to call 1-888-SAFEFOOD Monday through Friday between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Eastern time, or to consult http://www.fda.gov.



Manila Bulletin
http://www.mb.com.ph/us-tests-confirm-hepatitis-a-in-scallops-imported-from-ph/
US tests confirm hepatitis A in scallops imported from PH

August 19, 2016

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By AP and Madeline B. Miraflor

Honolulu, Hawaii — United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) tests found Hepatitis A in scallops from the Philippines, which have been identified as the likely source of an outbreak of the virus in Hawaii.

The Hawaii Department of Health announced Thursday the FDA laboratory test results of frozen Sea Port Bay Scallops. They are produced by De Oro Resources Inc. Messages left with the company’s main office in the Philippines were not immediately returned.

The scallops are imported by Sea Port Products Corp. in Washington state. An employee referred requests for comment to a spokeswoman, who did not immediately respond.

As this developed, the Philippine government said it will conduct its own investigation on the matter.

“I have ordered an investigation and will recommend independent laboratory tests,” Department of Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel PiƱol said in a text message.

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), for its part, said it will immediately review the sanitary health compliance measures of the De Oro Resources, pending the confirmatory test by the US health authorities whether the scallops from the Philippines indeed caused the hepatitis A outbreak.

The agency also maintained that all “fishery products for export undergo required complete microbial and other analysis before shipment for potential food safety hazards as may be required by the importing country”.

There is a Hawaii-wide embargo on the product, meaning businesses are not allowed to sell them and consumers are advised not to eat them, the health department said.

Health officials on Monday identified frozen scallops served raw at a sushi chain as the probable source of the outbreak. They ordered 11 Genki Sushi restaurants on Oahu and Kauai to close.

The popular restaurants, which serve sushi on conveyor belts, must dispose of their food supply and disposable items like cups and napkins and disinfect the facilities before they reopen.

“This laboratory confirmation is important validation of our investigation findings,” state epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Park said in a statement Thursday.

“We are continuing efforts to end this outbreak by working to assure no other product is left in the state and to monitor for those who unfortunately may have been infected and do not yet have symptoms.”

The health department confirmed 206 cases of hepatitis A as of earlier this week. The disease can cause fever, loss of appetite, nausea and other ailments.
Read more at http://www.mb.com.ph/us-tests-confirm-hepatitis-a-in-scallops-imported-from-ph/#2XTUDGMzRGWBwEL6.99

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