A Salmonella outbreak in Newton County, Georgia has sickened at least 70 people and hospitalized four, according to the Gwinett Newton Rockdale County Health Departments. Officials are investigating a confirmed outbreak.
The first illness was reported to the county on May 4, 2018. The source of the pathogenic bacteria has not been determined. Investigators are interviewing patients, trying to find commonalities among those who are sick, including what foods they ate in the past week, where they ate them, and other pertinent activities.
Many of the patients have been to urgent care or have seen their primary physicians. Four people have been hospitalized because their illness is so severe. In a Salmonella outbreak, patients are usually hospitalized because of dehydration or sepsis, which is a blood infection.
If you have been experiencing the symptoms of Salmonella food poisoning and live in Newton County, Georgia, call the Foodborne Illness Hotline at Gwinett Newton Rockdale County at 770-339-4BUG. Your case may help solve this outbreak.
Symptoms of Salmonella food poisoning include fever, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea that may be bloody. While most people do recover on their own without any medical care, some do become sick enough that they must be admitted to the hospital.
And Salmonella cases are very underreported to health care workers and government officials. Experts use a multiplier of 29 for Salmonella outbreaks. That means there could be hundreds or thousands sickened, depending on the bacteria source.
Salmonella infections can have long term health consequences. Some people may develop Reiter’s Syndrome, which can lead to reactive arthritis. Others can develop high blood pressure, or suffer from irritable bowel syndrome.
Pritzker Hageman, America’s food safety law firm, successfully represents people who have been harmed by adulterated food products in outbreaks throughout the United States. Its lawyers have won hundreds of millions of dollars for survivors of foodborne illness, including a multimillion dollar verdict for a child who needed brain surgery after a Salmonella infection. The firm also publishes Food Poisoning Bulletin, a respected source for food safety news and information.
