Officials are investigating a surge in cases of a highly contagious liver infection, which they have linked to a contaminated food product purchased at a supermarket.
The UK Health Safety Agency (UKHSA) has identified a wave of hepatitis A cases after 95 people were affected by a serious liver infection, with 58 being hospitalised with the disease.
Hepatitis A – which is caused by a virus that spreads through contaminated faeces that get into food or water – can be deadly, but is usually rare in the UK.
Officials have now confirmed two separate outbreaks of the virus across Britain, with 53 cases reported since December 2024 in the latest wave alone.
Analysis of patient interviews has linked the outbreak to a specific food product, purchased from an unnamed supermarket, which most patients had consumed before falling ill.
Officials, who have not yet released the name of the product, said it has "emerged as a potential means of transmission."
According to a report, the first outbreak saw 19 people hospitalized with the infection, with most patients aged 50 to 69.
The second outbreak saw 39 cases requiring hospital care due to the illness.
Overall, 95 cases have been reported in both waves of infection.
Cases linked to the first outbreak spanned from January 2021 to March 2025, with 23 cases reported since August 2024 in the first wave.
The latest wave began in January 2023, with cases being reported as late as March of this year.
So far, no deaths related to this outbreak have been reported.
Public Health Scotland is leading the ongoing investigation alongside UKHSA and said the lack of international travel among the patients and the repeated mention of certain food products is helping to guide their investigations.
Hepatitis A has few noticeable symptoms in the early stages and, if left untreated, can lead to liver failure and can even be fatal.
Unlike related diseases such as Hepatitis B and C, Hepatitis A does not cause chronic liver disease, but it can still cause serious complications in some patients.
Signs of infection include high fever, flu-like symptoms – such as fatigue, headache and muscle aches – nausea or vomiting, abdominal pain, changes in bowel movements, pale grey stools and itchy skin.
These usually appear within two months of infection, but in some cases may not be detected for longer.
In more severe cases, the patient's skin and the whites of their eyes may turn yellow, a condition known as jaundice, which indicates that the liver is having difficulty functioning.
But the NHS warns that most children and some adults may not show symptoms, giving no indication that they are infected.
Hepatitis A usually goes away on its own within three to six months, but doctors may prescribe medication to relieve symptoms.
Anyone who has not been vaccinated or has not been previously infected is at higher risk of getting this disease.
Good personal hygiene – including washing hands before eating and after using the toilet – can help prevent the spread of infection.
Patients diagnosed with hepatitis A are advised not to drink alcohol, not to prepare food or drinks for others, not to have sex without using protective methods such as condoms, and not to share needles with others until they are no longer infectious.
This usually happens about seven days after the initial symptoms begin, for those who do not have jaundice.
This comes as health officials in Britain reported a rise in acute cases - with sudden onset - of hepatitis in children under the age of 10.
Between January and May 2022, almost 180 children fell ill with an unusual form of liver disease.
Typically, only about 20 children per year will be affected by an unexplained case of hepatitis.
An outbreak at a school in Huddersfield in 2023 triggered a public health warning after two children contracted hepatitis A.
Pupils and staff were offered the hepatitis A vaccination as a precaution, although the vaccine is not commonly offered in the UK due to the very low risk of infection. /Express newspaper/
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