The E. coli O157:H7 HUS outbreak that is linked to romaine lettuce from Yuma, Arizona has baffled investigators. One farm, Harrison Farms in Yuma, has been named as the source of lettuce that sickened eight people in Alaska. But other than issuing a blanket warning about romaine harvested in the Yuma region, no distributors, farms, processors, or stores have been named. As of May 2, 2018, there are 121 people sick in this outbreak. Fifty-two people have been hospitalized. Fourteen have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a type of kidney failure. And one person, who lived in California, died. Briefly, the New Jersey Department of Health named a restaurant that may have served some of the romaine lettuce that made people sick. But the CDC and FDA have not named that … [Read more...]
Lawyer Investigates: How Did Romaine Lettuce Get Contaminated in the E. coli O157:H7 HUS Outbreak?
Will Washing Romaine Lettuce Remove E. coli O157:H7?
The multistate E. coli O157:H7 HUS outbreak that is linked to romaine lettuce from the Yuma, Arizona growing region has sickened at least 121 people in 25 states. This is a serious outbreak. More than 50 people have been hospitalized. Fourteen of those people have been diagnosed with HUS, a complication of this infection that can cause kidney failure. And one person in California has died. Consumers are asking questions about this outbreak; namely, how can they protect themselves and their families? One of the questions is: will washing romaine lettuce and other produce eliminate the pathogenic bacteria? The answer is, unfortunately, no. There are several reasons for this. First, it only takes 10 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli bacteria to make a person very sick. That tiny amount … [Read more...]
Lawyer Explains: Why Is a Class Action Lawsuit Not the Best Choice For Romaine E. coli O157:H7 HUS Patients?
There are potentially many lawsuits that will be filed in the large E. coli O57:H7 HUS outbreak that is linked to romaine lettuce from the Yuma, Arizona growing region. At least 121 people are sick in that outbreak. Many families may be thinking about a class action lawsuit if and when a grower, distributor, retailer, or restaurant is named by the government. But is a class action lawsuit really the best choice for you, whether you have been sickened with E. coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Brucella, Campylobacter, or Salmonella bacteria? As of May 2, 2018, fifty-two people have been hospitalized in this outbreak because they are so sick. Fourteen patients have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a type of complication that can cause kidney failure. And one person in California … [Read more...]
Pritzker Hageman Files Lawsuit in Hopkins MN Legionnaires’ Outbreak
The law firm of Pritzker Hageman has filed a lawsuit on behalf of a client who was sickened in the Legionnaires' Disease outbreak in Hopkins, Minnesota. The lawsuit was filed in Hennepin County District Court on October 13, 2016 (file no. 27-CV-16-15044). The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) identified the source of the pathogenic bacteria on October 12, 2016, as cooling towers at Citrus Systems. Citrus Systems' facility is located at 415 11th Avenue South in Hopkins. Public health officials based their conclusion on the distribution of cases and where they live, work, or were in Hopkins, along with the test results from water samples taken from Citrus Systems' cooling towers. Laboratory tests found the outbreak strain of Legionella bacteria in one of the towers. Cooling towers … [Read more...]
Campylobacter Outbreak in Pueblo County CO Linked to Raw Milk
A Campylobacter outbreak in Pueblo County, Colorado has sickened at least 20 people, according to news releases from El Paso County Public Health and the Pueblo City-County Department of Public Health. Twelve confirmed and eight probable cases of Campylobacter infections have been reported to public health officials since August 1, 2016. The most recent illness onset date was September 16, 2016. All of those sickened reported drinking raw milk from Larga Vista Ranch in Pueblo County. All of those case patients live in Pueblo and El Paso counties. The state health department has notified about 175 people who are participants in the Larga Vista cow share operation on September 8, 2016 about this problem and are doing so again today. These types of operations let people buy a share … [Read more...]
Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreak Kills 1, Sickens 17 in Hopkins, MN
The Minnesota Department of Health is scrambling to pinpoint the source of a serious outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease that has sickened 17 people who had been living, visiting, or working in Hopkins, Minnesota since August 4th. One of these victims has now died. The person who died was elderly and was one of the previously confirmed patients. Doug Schultz of the Minnesota Department of Health confirmed those numbers. All of the cases were exposed before or during the first full week of September 2016, before the outbreak was identified. The victims, all exposed to the potentially fatal Legionella pneumonia bacteria in the Hopkins vicinity, range in age from their 20s to their 90s; most are elderly or have chronic health conditions. Legionella bacteria are commonly found in the … [Read more...]
Virginia Hepatitis A Tropical Smoothie Outbreak Grows to 102 Sick
The hepatitis A outbreak in Virginia associated with Tropical Smoothie Cafe has grown to include 102 people. All of those reported consuming a smoothie at Tropical Smoothie Cafe before they got sick. About 37% of those sickened in this outbreak have been hospitalized for their illness because they are so sick. The 102 ill persons range in age from 14 to 70. The onset of illness dates range from early May through September. The case count by region is: 59 Northern, 15 Northwest, 16 Eastern, 12 Central, 0 Southwest. The CDC says that at least 25 others are sick in this outbreak, which brings the nationwide total to 127. Epidemiologic and traceback evidence indicate that frozen strawberries imported from Egypt used to make the smoothies are the likely source of this outbreak. The … [Read more...]
CDC Updates Tropical Smoothie Hepatitis A Numbers
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated the hepatitis A outbreak linked to frozen strawberries that were served at Tropical Smoothie Cafe locations in several states. Their numbers as of September 14, 2016 are 119. But Virginia updated their numbers on September 16, 2016 from 94 to 98, which means there are at least 123 people sickened in this outbreak. The case count by state is: Arkansas (1), Maryland (12), New York (3), North Carolina (1), Oregon (1), Virginia (98), West Virginia (6), and Wisconsin (1). Forty-seven ill persons have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported. The hospitalization rate in this outbreak is at 39%, which is about double the usual hospitalization rate in a hepatitis A outbreak. There is no explanation for this number. … [Read more...]
