A brand of frozen clams imported from Ecuador is now at the centre of a growing hepatitis A investigation in the United States, after federal health officials confirmed the illness count has climbed to 37 people across four states, most of whom needed hospital care.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the US government's public health and food safety agencies, say the outbreak is potentially linked to imported frozen clams and remains under active investigation.
As of 17 September 2026, cases have been confirmed in Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York and Pennsylvania, among people aged 6 to 40.
Hepatitis A is a virus that infects the liver.
It spreads mainly through contaminated food or water, and also through close personal contact with someone who is infected.
Unlike some other forms of hepatitis, it does not become a long term condition.
Most people usually recover completely, though the illness can knock a person off their feet for a few weeks to several months in the meantime, with fatigue, nausea, abdominal pain and jaundice, a yellowing of the skin and eyes.
Of the 37 people confirmed sick in this outbreak, 30, or 81 percent, have needed hospital treatment.
No deaths have been reported.
Illnesses have been recorded from as early as July 2025 through June 2026, a span that reflects how long health investigators have been piecing this outbreak together rather than a single sudden spike.
Point source hepatitis A outbreaks tied to a specific contaminated food product have historically shown hospitalization rates well below what is being seen here.
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A 2013 outbreak linked to imported pomegranate seeds hospitalized 44 percent of those sickened, and a 2016 outbreak tied to imported frozen strawberries hospitalized 39 percent, according to CDC's final reports on those outbreaks.
At 81 percent, this outbreak's hospitalization rate is markedly higher than either of those historical comparisons, though officials have not stated why.
Investigators have traced the outbreak to a specific item: La Serranita brand concha negra, a Spanish name for black shell clam meat, sold frozen in 16 ounce packages and imported from Ecuador.
The product is commonly used in ceviche, a dish where seafood is marinated in citrus juice rather than cooked with heat.
In interviews, 77 percent of people who fell ill reported eating ceviche, 76 percent reported eating raw or undercooked shellfish, and 47 percent specifically reported eating raw or undercooked conchas negras in the weeks before symptoms began.
The FDA says the product was distributed to restaurants and retailers in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania, and may have reached other states beyond those.
The agency is advising consumers not to eat the product at all, and telling restaurants and retailers not to sell or serve it.
Anyone holding stock is being told to dispose of it or contact their distributor to arrange for its destruction.
The investigation remains open, and health officials say the true number of people sickened is likely higher than the confirmed count.
Some people recover from hepatitis A without ever seeing a doctor and are never tested, and a case can take weeks to be formally linked to an outbreak once it is reported. Investigators have not yet said exactly where in the supply chain the contamination occurred.
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