Officials are investigating a surge in cases of a highly contagious liver infection they have linked to a contaminated supermarket food item.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has identified a wave of hepatitis A infections in Britain after 95 people were sickened with a serious liver infection, with 58 so ill they needed to be hospitalised.
Hepatitis A—which is caused by a virus spread by contaminated faeces making its way into food and drink—can be deadly but is usually uncommon in the UK.
Officials have now confirmed two separate clusters of the virus across Britain, with 53 cases having been reported since December 2024 alone in the latest wave.
Analysis of patient interviews has linked the outbreak to a specific food item purchased from an unnamed supermarket, which most patients reported consuming before falling ill.
Officials, who have not yet named the product, stated that it has ’emerged as a possible vehicle of transmission’.
According to a report, the first cluster saw 19 people hospitalised with the infection, with most patients aged 50 to 69.
The second cluster saw 39 cases needing hospital care due to the illness.
Overall, 95 cases have been reported across both waves of the infection.
Cases related to the first cluster of infections range from January 2021 to March 2025, with 23 cases having been reported since August 2024 in the first wave.
The latest wave struck in January 2023, with cases still being reported up until March this year.
No deaths linked to the outbreak have yet been reported.
Public Health Scotland are leading the ongoing investigation alongside UKHSA and said that the lack of international travel among patients and the repeated mention of certain food items is helping direct their inquiry.
Hepatitis A has few noticeable symptoms in its early stages and if left untreated can lead to liver failure and can even prove fatal.
Unlike the related conditions Hepatitis B and C, Hepatitis A doesn’t cause chronic liver disease, but can still lead to severe complications in some patients.
Signs of the infection include a high temperature, flu-like symptoms—such as fatigue, headache and muscle pains—feeling or being sick, abdominal pain, changes in bowel movements, pale grey coloured faeces and itchy skin.
The outbreak has been linked with an unnamed supermarket product that patients reported consuming. Stock image
These usually develop within two months of infection but in some cases can go undetected for longer.
In more severe cases, a patient’s skin and eyes may appear yellow, a condition known as jaundice and a serious sign the liver is struggling to function correctly.
But the NHS warns that most children, and some adults, may have no symptoms indicating they are infected.
Hepatitis A usually clears up on its own within three to six months, but doctors may prescribe medication to relieve symptoms.
Anyone who has not been vaccinated or previously infected is at a higher risk of catching the illness.
Good personal hygiene—including washing hand before meals and after using the bathroom—can help prevent the spread of the infection.
Patients diagnosed with Hepatitis A are advised not to drink alcohol, prepare food or drink for other people, have sex without a barrier method like a condom, or share needles with others until they are no longer infectious.
This is usually around seven days after initial symptoms start, for those who do not have jaundice.
It comes as UK health chiefs reported an increase in the number of acute—sudden onset—hepatitis cases in children aged 10 and under.
Between January and May 2022, nearly 180 children fell ill with an unusual form of the liver disease.
Typically, only around 20 children will contract an unexplained case of hepatitis each year.
An outbreak in a school in Huddersfield in 2023 sparked a public health warning, after two children contracted Hepatitis A.
Pupils and staff were offered Hepatitis A vaccinations as a precautionary measure, despite the vaccination not being routinely offered in the UK because the risk of infection is so low.
