Hepatitis A infections from raw scallops increase
All cases have been in adults and 64 have required hospitalization. Onset of illness ranges between 12 June and 25 August.
Findings suggest the source is focused on Oahu. Ten individuals are residents of the islands of Hawaii, Kauai, or Maui, and four visitors have returned to the mainland, said the agency.
HDOH identified raw scallops served at Genki Sushi restaurants on Oahu and Kauai as a likely source.
Product from the Philippines
The product is Sea Port Bay Scallops (Wild Harvest, Raw Frozen) from the Philippines and distributed by Koha Oriental Foods and True World Foods.
Contaminated scallops were wild-caught in the Philippines and processed by De Oro Resources Incorporated, located in Suba Basbas, Philippines.
FDA laboratory analysis of two scallop samples have been confirmed positive for hepatitis A.
Sea Port Products Corp. recalled three lots of frozen bay scallops produced on November 23-24, 2015 in the Philippines.
Lot numbers are 5885, 5886, and 5887 and products were distributed to California, Hawaii, and Nevada but not sold directly to consumers by Sea Port.
HDOH ordered the product not to be sold, purchased, or consumed throughout the state, and temporary closure of all Genki Sushi restaurants on Oahu and Kauai.
True World Foods scallops not distributed
Scallops received by True World Foods have not been distributed to any restaurants in the state, and were embargoed at their warehouse.
The firm is destroying the suspect scallops from the Philippines under supervision of the FDA. None of the scallops at its’ 22 other warehouses in the US come from lots implicated in the outbreak.
However, the company has suspended the sale of any seafood produced by the scallop supplier in the Philippines pending an internal investigation.
The source of contamination is unknown but likely occurred before True World Foods or the other distributor received the scallops, given that the product arrives in sealed packages that are case-packed in a freezer and receive no further processing at the distributor site.
"This incident marks the first time in our 38-year history that seafood distributed by True World Foods has been linked to hepatitis A contamination, despite the fact that we sold 34 million pounds of seafood last year," said Robert Bleu, president of True World Foods.
"Food safety is a top priority at our company, and we are continually monitoring our suppliers, processes and procedures to protect the health of every consumer who eats at any of our customer sites."
Scallops served at Genki locations on the Big Island and Maui originated from a different supplier.
CDC said it is not aware of any hepatitis A virus infections in other states linked to the Hawaii outbreak.
