The Mendocino County Public Health Department is warning customers of A Frame Espresso at 1080 S. Main Street in Fort Bragg that they may have been exposed to hepatitis A. One kind of smoothie made at the shop may have contained the recently recalled Organic Antioxidant Blend frozen berry mix, produced by Townsend Farms and sold at Costco warehouses in many western states (www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm355166.htm).
This product has been identified as the source of an outbreak of hepatitis A infections in the United States, with at least 118 victims identified to date, including 51 in California.
If you consumed a Mixed Berry smoothie from A Frame Espresso between March 4 and June 8 you may have been exposed. According to the owner, no other items sold at A Frame Espresso contained the recalled product.
Hepatitis A is a contagious liver disease that can develop from 2 to 7 weeks after consuming contaminated food or drink. The virus is shed in the stool (feces) of infected people starting a week before symptoms occur. Hepatitis A can range from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a serious illness lasting several months. Illness includes fatigue, abdominal pain, jaundice, abnormal liver tests, dark urine and pale stool. In rare cases, particularly individuals who have a pre-existing severe illness or are immune compromised, hepatitis A infection can progress to liver failure. Exposed individuals that develop any of these symptoms should contact their healthcare provider right away.
Hepatitis A vaccine may prevent disease, but only if given within two weeks after eating the contaminated food. The smoothies from A Frame Espresso that may have been contaminated with hepatitis A were sold more than 2 weeks ago, so vaccination now will not prevent infection. Individuals that have been vaccinated against hepatitis A or have had hepatitis A disease in the past are protected and unlikely to become ill. Most children are vaccinated against hepatitis A which has been recommended for California children since 1999.
For more information about hepatitis A, contact Public Health at (707) 472-2650 or visit California Dept. of Public Health's website at