Current information on hepatitis A
13 March 2025 | Latest news on Hepatitis A in blueberries RIVM has received 24 reports of people who very probably contracted hepatitis A from contaminated frozen blueberries. The people became ill between November 2024 and February 2025. There were 13 men and 11 women aged 16 to 77 years. Eight of them were admitted to hospital. 19 people had eaten the frozen blueberries sold by Albert Heijn. This was also the most probable cause for 3 others. One person may have contracted the disease from another patient, and one person became ill from an unknown source. Laboratory testing did in fact show the presence of the hepatitis A virus in two packages of blueberries from one of the patients. On 13 January 2025, the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Authority (NVWA) and the Albert Heijn supermarket chain warned people not to eat the blueberries. It normally takes about 28 to 50 days for people to become ill after exposure to the hepatitis A virus. This incubation period is now over. We do not expect any new cases of hepatitis A to occur from this contamination. Delayed reports of people who were already ill during this period may still come in, but we do not expect any new infections. This was the last update from RIVM about this situation. RIVM's latest news on Hepatitis A in blueberries Albert Heijn issued a recall on 13 January 2025 for blueberries that may have been contaminated with hepatitis A. Eating the berries could cause health problems. The affected product is the 1 kg bag of frozen blueberries, listed as"AH Zakje met blauwe bessen 1 kg (diepvries)", with a use-by date of 14-04-2026 and earlier dates. To prevent hepatitis A, it is advisable not to eat these blueberries.
