Virginia Smoothie Hepatitis A Cases Increase to 35; Northern Virginia Man Sues for $100,000

A Loudoun County man is suing Tropical Smoothie Cafe, seeking $100,000 after he drank smoothies that he claims resulted in Hepatitis A symptoms, according to the Virginian-Pilot. Constantinos Raptis is the plaintiff in the lawsuit, which says he drank smoothies at a Tropical Smoothie in Purcellville in early August and began showing Hepatitis A symptoms Aug. 15. His suit was filed in Loudoun County Circuit Court.

The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) is investigating a cluster of hepatitis A cases and has identified a potential association with smoothies from Tropical Smoothie Cafe restaurants in Virginia. Genetic testing shows the illnesses were caused by a strain of hepatitis A that has been associated with past outbreaks due to frozen strawberries from Egypt. Upon learning of the potential link to strawberries, Tropical Smoothie Cafe immediately conducted a voluntary product withdrawal of all strawberries sourced from Egypt and found an alternate supply.

The number of those in Virginia who have reported Hepatitis A as a result of consuming a smoothie at Tropical Smoothie Cafe is now up to 35, according to the Virginia Department of Health, which released the latest numbers Friday at noon.

Fourteen of those cases are reported in the Northern Virginia suburbs. Tropical Smoothie Cafe has many locations in the Northern Virginia area, including in Ashburn, Reston, Oakton, Dunn Loring, Falls Church, Arlington, Alexandria, Leesburg and Fredericksburg.

Vaccine or immune globulin must be administered within two weeks of exposure to the Hepatitis A virus, and the product was removed from the chain’s stores Aug. 6-8., according to the Virginia Department of Health. Tropical Smoothie Cafe customers could have gotten a vaccine to prevent getting the virus but the deadline to get that vaccine is is now over, according to health department officials.

Read more about Hepatitis A from the Virginia Department of Health here.

Tropical Smoothie Cafe has set up a help line that people can call with any concerns: 1-855-292-4770.

Tropical Smoothie Cafe CEO Mike Rotondo apologized for the possibly tainted strawberries at Tropical Smoothie Cafe that has resulted in at least 35 people in Virginia contracting Hepatitis A, as of Friday. The company released this video of the apology:

PHOTO of emergency room sign/Shutterstock