150522130633-strawberries-medium-plus-169The Indiana State Department of Health joins a small but growing chorus of health departments slowly announcing the retail locations of where hepatitis A tainted frozen strawberries from Egypt may have been sold.

To date, eight restaurants in Marion, Hamilton and Hendricks counties have confirmed they served products containing the recalled strawberries in the last two weeks. Those include El Rey Del Taco at 3925 N. high School Rd. and Don Marcos Ice Cream and Restaurant at 4779 N. Post Rd. in Marion County.

More counties could be identified as the investigation continues.

Anyone who consumed a food item that contained strawberries at a restaurant in those counties since Nov. 1 should contact these local health departments for more information.

The Marion county Public Health Department established a hotline to answer questions and concerns at (317) 221-5503 starting Wednesday, Nov. 16, from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Hendricks County residents can call (317) 745-9222 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on weekdays.

No Indiana schools or nursing homes have been affected.

Hepatitis A is caused by a virus that inflames the liver. Signs and symptoms of infection include:

  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Diarrhea
  • Loss of appetite
  • Abdominal pain
  • Fever
  • Jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes)

Symptoms can take up to 50 days to appear after exposure. Not everyone infected with the virus will exhibit symptoms, but all infected individuals can transmit the disease to others through contact with stool or unwashed hands.

State health officials ask healthcare providers to ask patients who exhibit symptoms of hepatitis A about recent strawberry consumption as part of their investigation into the multistate outbreak. So far, they have traced the outbreak to frozen strawberries imported from Egypt and food items containing these strawberries.

Individuals who may have been exposed to hepatitis A within the last two weeks can receive either a vaccine or immunoglobulin, depending on their age, to help prevent infection by contacting their health care provider or local health department. Those whose potential exposure occurred prior to Nov. 1 should contact their healthcare provider to determine whether testing for hepatitis A is appropriate, especially if symptoms develop.

Hepatitis A:  Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm, is the nation’s leading law firm representing victims of Hepatitis A outbreaks. The Hepatitis A lawyers of Marler Clark have represented thousands of victims of Hepatitis A and other foodborne illness outbreaks and have recovered over $600 million for clients.  Marler Clark is the only law firm in the nation with a practice focused exclusively on foodborne illness litigation.  Our Hepatitis A lawyers have litigated Hepatitis A cases stemming from outbreaks traced to a variety of sources, such as green onions, lettuce and restaurant food.  The law firm has brought Hepatitis A lawsuits against such companies as Costco, Subway, McDonald’s, Red Robin, Chipotle, Quiznos and Carl’s Jr.  We proudly represented the family of Donald Rockwell, who died after consuming hepatitis A tainted food and Richard Miller, wo required a liver transplant after eating food at a Chi-Chi’s restaurant.

If you or a family member became ill with a Hepatitis A infection after consuming food and you’re interested in pursuing a legal claim, contact the Marler Clark Hepatitis A attorneys for a free case evaluation.