Hepatitis A Linked to Blackberries Sold At Fresh Thyme Stores In 11 States, Including Illinois
CHICAGO (CBS)-- Blackberries in 11 states, including Illinois, have been linked to cases of Hepatitis A.
The non-organic berries were sold at Fresh Thyme stores between Sep. 9 and 30.
Eleven people have gotten sick, three cases are in Nebraska. The other cases were in Indiana and Wisconsin.
Hepatitis A infects the liver and can cause mild, flu-like symptoms.
Health officials are still trying to figure out how this happened.
Fresh Thyme operates out of Downers Grove.
In a statement, the company said: "We are fully cooperating with these agencies on the investigation and are awaiting next steps.
At this time, there is no reason to believe that any of the product was contaminated via handling in our stores. In addition, the agencies are only concerned with product purchased between September 9 and September 30; product purchased or consumed outside of these dates are not subject to the investigation.
"We are working with these agencies to identify our suppliers and isolate the source of this contamination."