The CDC is investigating an outbreak of hepatitis A cases linked to a smoothie chain.
Sixty-nine victims in six states have been sickened with hepatitis A, with the outbreak linked to frozen strawberries used in smoothies from Tropical Smoothie Cafe, reports Food Safety News.
Most victims are from Virginia, with 55 residents suffering from hepatitis A infections as of Wednesday. Almost half of these residents had to be hospitalized due to the illness.
Outside of Virginia, there are reports of illness in West Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, Oregon, and Wisconsin as well.
Hepatitis A is a liver disease, with symptoms including fever, loss of appetite, diarrhea, nausea, dark-colored urine, and jaundice. The virus is often spread through contaminated or unsanitary food - in this case, a batch of strawberries.
Reuters/Vasily Fedosenko
Wholesalers look at strawberries prepared for sale on a wholesale market in the village of Dvarets, Belarus June 14, 2016.
Authorities have linked the outbreak to imported strawberries used by the smoothie chain.
"I sincerely apologize to any issues this may have cause for any customers," Tropical Smoothie Cafe CEO Mike Rotondo said in a YouTube video released Sunday. "On August 5, the Virginia Department of Health contacted us about a potential link between hepatitis A cases and frozen strawberries from Egypt. We voluntarily and immediately removed all of those strawberries from all of our cafes."
Rotondo said the 500-unit chain is now buying all strawberries from a new source.
This isn't the only hepatitis A outbreak in the US linked to the restaurant business happening right now. In Hawaii, close to 250 people have been sickened after consuming frozen scallops served at fast-food sushi chain Genki Sushi.