The local health authority is offering free hepatitis A vaccine to local residents who have eaten a particular brand of frozen fruit in the last 14 days.
The Fraser Health Authority will be holding the vaccine clinics for anyone who ate Pomeberry Blend frozen fruit by Western Family, and have not previously received two doses of hepatitis A vaccine or had hepatitis A disease.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has warned that the
Pomeberry Blend fruit, sold in 600 gram packages at Save-On-Foods, Price Smart and affiliated Overwaitea stores, may contain the hepatitis A virus. No other fruit products or brands are currently of concern.
The vaccine is ineffective if more than 14 days has passed since you consumed the product.
Hepatitis A is a preventable disease of the liver caused by the hepatitis A virus, which can last from a few weeks to several months. It does not lead to chronic infection. After the hepatitis A virus enters the body, it can take from 15 to 50 days before an individual will feel sick. Symptoms can be so mild that people are unaware they are sick.
Others will have more pronounced symptoms including: loss of appetite; fever; dark urine; a tired feeling; vomiting; clay-coloured bowel movements; a sore feeling in the upper-right stomach area; yellowing of the skin and eyeballs (jaundice). Symptoms can last from one to two weeks to several months. Most people recover completely and then are immune to re-infection.
If you have consumed the Western Family brand Pomeberry Blend frozen fruit in the past 14 days and have symptoms compatible with hepatitis A infection, please contact your family physician or call the 24- hour HealthLink BC line at 8-1-1.
To find out about times for the clinics, contact the Burnaby health unit at 604-918-7605 or the New Westminster health unit at 604-777-6740, between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
