Children Most Vulnerable to Hamburger E. coli
In some places it is known as the “hamburger disease,” more precisely because hamburger is one of the prime vehicles for transmission of E. coli O157:H7 poisoning.
A recent study by 11 epidemiologists examined rates of death, by age group, in 3,464 people who were sickened by hamburger disease between 2000-2006. The scientific review looked at deaths associated with E. coli O157:H7 infection and a complication of E. coli known as hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). HUS is a life-threatening condition and the biggest cause of kidney failure in children throughout the world.
The researchers, led by Dr. L Hannah Gould of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), found that 218 E. coli victims, or 6.3 percent of the total, developed HUS. In all E. coli HUS cases, death occurred 4.6 percent of the time.
The research, published in the October 2009 , is more proof that the most vulnerable populations to hamburger E. coli are children under 5 and adults older than 60. In hamburger E. coli outbreaks, the highest proportion of HUS cases occur in young children — 15.3 percent of total cases.
Three percent of the child HUS victims died whereas .3 percent of children died from E. coli without developing HUS syndrome. HUS is best known for attacking the kidneys, but the disease also can result in hemorrhaging, strokes, anemia and heart problems. As a producer of poisonous Shiga toxin, E. coli O157:H7 also has the capacity to invade the blood brain barrier and cause damage to the central nervous system.
E. coli O157:H7 patients older than 60 had the highest death rate in the study. With or without E. coli HUS, 12 of 390 elderly victims of hamburger disease died. In elderly patients who developed HUS, five of 15, or 33 percent, did not survive. Adults poisoned in hamburger E. coli outbreaks also risk developing thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), a condition aligned with HUS.
E. coli O157:H7 is banned by the federal government from hamburger. Obviously, that measure hasn’t stopped hamburger E. coli outbreaks.
Because E. coli O157:H7 in hamburger is classified as an adulterant, you and your family have special legal rights to press for recoveries against the meatpacker and other companies in the supply chain who sold the adulterated product.
Food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen is currently representing hamburger E. coli victims and is a national leader in foodborne illness litigation. As one of the few firms in the country practicing extensively in the area of foodborne illness, we have recovered tens of millions of dollars for the families who have suffered injury and loss.
To contact an E. coli lawyer for a free case consultation, call 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete one of our online contact forms . You owe us nothing until we win your case.
Tags: E. coli HUS, Hamburger E. coli, Lawyer
