Rare case of death from hepatitis A linked to pomegranate seeds recall

In a rare and tragic case, a 64-year-old woman in Australia died after contracting hepatitis A linked to the recalled product frozen pomegranate seeds. The instance comes after an initial recall of 180-gram bags of Creative Gourmet frozen pomegranate seeds by health officials in Australia. For the same, a warning was issued to the people that the product was linked to an outbreak of hepatitis A in New South Wales.

Creative Gourmet is an Australia-based company that distributes frozen fruits to restaurants and supermarkets across Australia. The implicated seeds come from pomegranates grown in Egypt, according to the company's website.

Hepatitis A is a viral infection of the liver that spreads through consumption of drinks or foods contaminated with fecal matter. The infection is usually mild and goes away in few weeks, but can be more serious in people with the chronic liver disease and older adults. Its symptoms include yellowing of the skin, vomiting, nausea, fever, pale stool and dark urine. Signs of infection can take 15 to 50 days to develop.

This is a rare and tragic case and I offer my sincere condolences to the woman's family," South Australia Chief Medical Officer Paddy Phillips said in a news release.