Food at Colorado Springs restaurants linked to hepatitis A

Fresh strawberries (iStock)

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Strawberries at three El Paso County restaurants have been connected to a multistate hepatitis A outbreak.

The Gazette of Colorado Springs reports that El Paso County Public Health officials say strawberries used in margaritas at the restaurants Rancho Alegre, Mi Mexico and Guadalajara may have been contaminated with the virus.

Health officials say anyone who ate or drank strawberries at the restaurants should receive hepatitis A vaccinations. El Paso County Public Health is offering free vaccinations to anyone who doesn’t have a primary care doctor.

Health officials have connected more than 100 hepatitis A cases to frozen strawberries imported from Egypt since Jan. 1. The outbreak has mostly sickened people on the East Coast. No known cases have been reported in Colorado.

Information from: The Gazette