Australian health chief warns of hepatitis link to tomatoes

CANBERRA, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Health authorities in the Australian state of Victoria have renewed their warnings over links between semi-dried tomatoes and an outbreak of hepatitis A.

Victoria's chief health officer Dr John Carnie on Monday said that so far this year there had been 200 notifications of hepatitis A, compared to 74 at the same time last year with a further 23 cases of the infectious disease diagnosed in the past week.

A study into the increase of cases indicates that more than two thirds of people that have become ill recalled eating semi-dried tomatoes, he noted.

"Because the incubation period for hepatitis A could be as long as two months, trying to get people who fell ill to accurately pin down what and where they actually ate this product can be difficult," Carnie told reporters.

"We still are unclear as to why there has been a recent spike in cases in Victoria.

"However, we are continuing to work with the manufacturers and suppliers of semi-dried tomatoes to try and identify the source."

Local producers had promised the Department of Human Services they were doing their best to reduce the risk, while importers of the tomatoes had also been instructed to ensure appropriate quality control measures were in place, Carnie said.

The greatest risk would appear to be at restaurants and cafes, where semi-dried tomatoes are served in foods such as salads and sandwiches.

Hepatitis A involves inflammation of the liver and is spread when traces of faecal matter containing the virus contaminates hands, objects, water or food and is then taken in through the mouth.