Ground Beef E coli Outbreak Claims Second Life
A second death, this one in New York, has resulted from the ground beef E. coli outbreak affecting New England and other Eastern states.
The multi-state outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 has been associated with fresh ground beef produced in mid-September by Ashville, N.Y.-based Fairbank Farms. The company has recalled more than half a million pounds of the product, which was sold in supermarket meat cases in at least eight states. Any product still out there is probably in consumers’ freezers and health officials are urging people to check their stocks.
Any ground beef with USDA establishment number EST 492 inside the mark of inspection should be checked against the recall list. In general, recalled items were marked with sell-by dates ranging from September 19-28.
Monday, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services confirmed three cases of E. coli O157:H7, one of which resulted in death. These cases are linked to the Fairbank E. coli recall, said New Hampshire DHHS Communications Director Kris Neilsen.
In Maine, officials confirmed that two cases of E. coli O157:H7 matched the genetic fingerprint of the outbreak strain of E. coli.
USA Today reporter Elizabeth Weise talked to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official who said 28 illnesses associated with Fairbank Farms ground beef E. coli have been confirmed, including 16 who were hospitalized. The person who died in New York had underlying health concerns. Illnesses in Massachusetts and Connecticut have also been linked to the recalled beef.
USA Today’s report said 18 of the 28 illnesses have been in New England states. Two of those who were hospitalized developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS.
Also on Monday, the Massachusetts Department of Health and Human Services said the New England E. coli outbreak associated with Fairbank Farms ground beef is unrelated to the Lincoln Middle School hamburger E. coli outbreak less than one week prior. In that hamburger E. coli outbreak, more than 20 students and chaperones from Rhode Island were sickened by contaminated and undercooked ground beef made by a meatpacker in Brockton, Massachusetts, doing business as South Shore Meats Inc. The school group had been on a trip to Camp Bournedale, a nature camp in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
In the United States, E. coli O157:H7 is banned from raw ground beef and people who are sickened by it have special rights under the law. To receive a free case consultation from an experienced E. coli attorney, contact national food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen Attorneys. Complete our online contact and information form or call us at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free).
Rhode Island attorney David Szerlag is a member of our law firm, which is involved in practically every major outbreak of food poisoning. Over the years we have collected tens of millions of dollars for victims of E. coli and other foodborne illnesses.
Tags: E. coli Lawyer, E. coli Outbreak, Fairbank Farms lawsuit
