---
title: "Mexican governor: inspectors found no hepatitis in Baja California"
date: 2003-12-05T04:03:00-08:00
author: admin
canonical_url: "https://marlerclark.com/news_events/mexican-governor-inspectors-found-no-hepatitis-in-baja-california"
section: Case News Additional
---
[All News](/news_events) / [](https://marlerclark.com/news_events) /

# Mexican governor: inspectors found no hepatitis in Baja California

 

 

  TIJUANA, Mexico – Inspections by U.S. and Mexican experts have not yet found any evidence of hepatitis infection at several scallion farms in Baja California state linked to a U.S. outbreak that killed three and sickened over 600, state officials said Thursday.The probe by three inspectors from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and one from U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – accompanied by Mexican officials – started Monday, and has not yet concluded.

U.S. officials have said they believe that green onions grown in Mexico and served in the United States were contaminated with hepatitis somewhere in the growing, packaging or delivery process.

But Baja California State Interior Secretary Bernardo Martinez that in visits to farms and packing houses in Mexicali and Ensenada – both of which are located in this state – the inspectors had not found any physical evidence of hepatitis infection.

Inspectors also visited a farm in neighboring Sonora state, and are expected to continue their inspections. U.S. officials were not immediately available for comment on the report.

However, it appears that in at least some visits, the inspection teams did not take samples of water or plant material, suggesting that testing for the physical presence of the virus may not have been among their objectives.

Martinez said some producers may decide to sue the U.S. government for damages caused by a drop-off in scallion sales following the announcement of the suspicions.

U.S. health officials have said the hepatitis strains found in Pennsylvania are very similar to those found in smaller outbreaks that occurred in Tennessee and Georgia in September. Those earlier outbreaks were traced to three companies known to have supplied Mexican green onions in those states. It is unclear whether they are the same companies currently being investigated.

Authorities are still trying to determine where along the supply chain the onions in the Pennsylvania case were contaminated. The CDC said the onions could have been contaminated with the virus a number of ways, including poor hygiene by infected workers at any stage of the onions' journey.

In the Mexicali Valley alone, there are 15,600 acres of green onions with an estimated commercial value of $44 million, according to Mexican Agriculture Department statistics.

Mexico sends nearly $3 billion in produce to the United States each year.

 

### Other Lawsuits

 [70 Sickened by Salmonella Cantaloupe](https://marlerclark.com/70-sickened-by-salmonella-cantaloupe)

 [Headcheese linked to Listeria illnesses in Illinois](https://marlerclark.com/headcheese-linked-to-listeria-illnesses-in-illinois)

 [Raw Farms linked to another Raw Milk Cheese E.coli Outbreak - 9 People sickened - Company refuses to recall product](https://marlerclark.com/raw-farms-linked-to-another-raw-milk-cheese-e-coli-outbreak-7-people-sickened)

 [Salmonella linked to Live it Up hits 97](https://marlerclark.com/salmonella-linked-to-live-it-up)

 [64 with Salmonella tied to Oysters](https://marlerclark.com/64-with-salmonella-tied-to-oysters)

 [Vega Farms Salmonella Outbreak Sickens 63](https://marlerclark.com/vega-farms-salmonella-outbreak-sickens-63)

 [By Heart Infant Formula tied to Botulism Outbreak spikes to 51](https://marlerclark.com/by-heart-infant-formula-tied-to-botulism-outbreak)

 [Green Supplement causes Salmonella Outbreak](https://marlerclark.com/green-supplement-causes-salmonella-outbreak)

 [10 with E. coli linked to Cheese](https://marlerclark.com/3-with-e-coli-linked-to-cheese)

 [Kroger and Walmart Pasta Listeria Outbreak](https://marlerclark.com/kroger-and-walmart-pasta-listeria-outbreak)

 [Salmonella Outbreak tied to Metabolic Meals](https://marlerclark.com/salmonella-outbreak-tied-to-metabolic-meals)

 [Giardia Outbreak hits Kentucky - El Tapatio Mexican restaurant suspected as the source](https://marlerclark.com/giardia-outbreak-hits-madisonville-kentucky-el-tapatio-mexican-restaurant-suspected-as-the-source)

 

 

 

### Lawsuit updates about foodborne illnesses

 [Reactive Arthritis Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=reactive-arthritis&year=all)

 [E. coli Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=e-coli&year=all)

 [Guillain-Barre Syndrome Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=guillain-barre-syndrome&year=all)

 [Salmonella Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=salmonella&year=all)

 [Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=hemolytic-uremic-syndrome&year=all)

 [Listeria Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=listeria&year=all)

 [Irritable Bowel Syndrome Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=irritable-bowel-syndrome&year=all)

 [Hepatitis A Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=hepatitis-a&year=all)

 [Norovirus Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=norovirus&year=all)

 [Botulism Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=botulism&year=all)

 [Campylobacter Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=campylobacter&year=all)

 [Shigella Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=shigella&year=all)

 [Cyclospora Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=cyclospora&year=all)

 

 

### Lawsuits updates by year

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 1998](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=1998)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 1999](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=1999)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2000](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2000)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2001](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2001)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2002](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2002)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2003](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2003)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2004](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2004)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2005](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2005)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2006](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2006)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2007](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2007)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2008](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2008)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2009](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2009)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2010](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2010)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2011](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2011)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2012](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2012)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2013](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2013)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2014](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2014)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2015](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2015)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2016](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2016)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2017](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2017)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2018](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2018)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2019](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2019)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2020](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2020)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2021](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2021)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2022](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2022)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2023](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2023)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2024](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2024)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2025](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2025)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2026](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2026)

 

 

 

##### Get Help

   

#### Affected by an outbreak or recall?

The team at Marler Clark is here to answer all your questions. Find out if you’re eligible for a lawsuit, what questions to ask your doctor, and more.

 [ Get a free consultation ](https://marlerclark.com/contact) 

##### Related Resources

   

 

######  [E. coli](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/e-coli-landing) 

...

 

######  [E. coli Food Poisoning](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/e-coli/e-coli-food-poisoning) 

What is E. coli and how does it cause food poisoning? Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a highly studied, common species of bacteria that belongs to the family Enterobacteriaceae, so...

 

######  [E. coli O157:H7](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/e-coli/e-coli-o157h7) 

E. coli O157:H7 is a foodborne pathogen that causes food poisoning. E. coli O157:H7 is the most commonly identified and the most notorious Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) serotype in...

 

######  [Non-O157 STEC](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/e-coli/non-o157-stec) 

Non-O157 Shiga Toxin-Producing E. coli can also cause food poisoning. E. coli O157:H7 may be the most notorious serotype of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), but there are at least...

 

######  [Sources of E. coli](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/e-coli/sources-of-e-coli) 

Where do E. coli O157:H7 and non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) come from? The primary reservoirs, or ultimate sources, of E. coli O157:H7 and non-O157 STEC in nature are...

 

##### Outbreak Database

   

#### Looking for a comprehensive list of outbreaks?

The team at Marler Clark is here to answer all your questions. Find out if you’re eligible for a lawsuit, what questions to ask your doctor, and more.

 [ View Outbreak Database

  ](https://outbreakdatabase.com)
