Moroccan strawberries: hepatitis A joins the dessert!

Analyses carried out at a control point in Spain have revealed that strawberries imported from Morocco are contaminated with hepatitis A. The levels of contamination exceeded the maximum authorized threshold, it is specified. The detection of this contamination has prompted the European Union (EU) to activate its Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF). According to the notification issued on February 14, these fruits are contaminated with Norovirus genotype II. A contamination described as "serious risk".

Surprised by the detection of this contamination, the Moroccan authorities have recalled that the exported strawberries are systematically subjected to rigorous health checks and that similar measures are taken for other fruits and vegetables when health alerts are issued in other third countries, in order to guarantee the safety of European consumers.

Noroviruses are mainly transmitted by the fecal-oral route and are highly infectious. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), "less than 100 particles are theoretically sufficient to cause the disease".