Story highlights 55 people infected in Maryland, North Carolina, Oregon, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin

The outbreak is linked to frozen strawberries imported from Egypt and served in smoothies

(CNN) An outbreak of hepatitis A caused by imported frozen strawberries from Egypt has sickened 55 people in six states, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday. Health authorities confirmed 44 total infections in Virginia, where the outbreak first appeared, and additional infections in Maryland (4), West Virginia (4), North Carolina (1), Oregon (1) and Wisconsin (1).

Hepatitis A is a viral liver infection that is highly contagious but does not result in chronic infection.

"Due to the relatively long incubation period for hepatitis A -- 15 to 50 days -- before people start experiencing symptoms, we expect to see more ill people reported in this outbreak," CDC spokeswoman Nora Spencer-Loveall said.

About half of the 44 infected Virginians have been hospitalized, according to that state's department of health . They range in age from 15 to 68. Their symptoms began in early May through August, but health authorities did not develop the theory of a common source of infection until this month.

The Virginia Department of Health originally connected the infection to smoothies, which contained the imported berries, served at Tropical Smoothie Café restaurants.

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