2-Year-Old Hunter Tallent is the Face of E. coli in NC
The State Fair E. coli outbreak in North Carolina is not a nameless, faceless medical emergency. A 2-year-old boy from Shelby, North Carolina, is fighting for his life as he receives dialysis treatments and blood transfusions at Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte.
The boy’s name is Hunter Tallent. A story in the local newspaper explains how he was diagnosed with E. coli poisoning after a family trip to the North Carolina State Fair in Raleigh. As of Tuesday, Hunter still had no kidney function after more than a week of treatments. The family learned October 24 that Hunter was infected with E. coli poisoning and had developed a life-threatening complication known as hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS, that is most common in children under the age of 5.
“They immediately said he’s got to go, his kidneys are failing,” mother Lindsay Tallent told The Shelby Star newspaper. “My heart hit the floor. We thought maybe he got dehydrated…needed a few bags of fluid and would be home in a couple of hours.”
The young boy contracted the illness at the N.C. State Fair in Raleigh, which public health investigators have linked to the outbreak. About two dozen people have been confirmed as victims, including Hunter. Scientists are still trying to determine whether the outbreak was caused by contaminated food or an animal exhibit.
Community support from the people in Cleveland County has been a real lift, spiritually, for Hunter and his family.
“We’re just having to wait and watch and hope and pray,” his mother said.
Source: Shelby Star
NC E. coli Outbreak Investigators Survey Fair Attendees
If you attended the 2011 North Carolina State Fair, we encourage you to fill out a mail survey being sent by the North Carolina Division of Public Health. Even if you are not a case patient in the NC State Fair E. coli outbreak, participation in the survey could help those who are.
State health officials are trying to pinpoint what caused at least 25 people to be sickened with a toxic form of E. coli that left at least four children hospitalized with kidney failure and possibly other symptoms of life-threatening hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS. E. coli HUS is a complication of E. coli infection that most often affects children under 5.
This outbreak may have been caused by a food contaminated by E. coli or contact with animals at one of the fair’s many exhibits. To help investigators identify the source, they need to talk to some fair attendees who didn’t get sick. If you fill out a survey, you may get a followup call from an E. coli investigator. This is excellent public health service for those who who study outbreaks and try to prevent them.
NC State Fair Lawsuit
E. coli lawyers at national food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen Attorneys are conducting a separate investigation for a North Carolina E. coli lawsuit on behalf of vicitims. Our law firm has collected tens of millions of dollars for E. coli outbreak victims in every corner of the U.S. This complex area of law requires attention to detail and experience in negotiations with meatpackers, food companies, restaurants, event managers and grocery stores who need to be held accountable for any negligence. Experience shows that outbreaks of food poisoning are preventable. For free case consultations, call 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or leave your contact information online and an attorney will call you.
Tyson E. coli Ground Beef Recall Retailer List Includes Kroger, Save-A-Lot, Supervalu and Others
Below is the USDA-FSIS list of retailers who received recalled Tyson ground beef that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. There may be other retailers who received the recalled beef. The recalled Tyson ground beef has sickened some people in Butler County, Ohio. E. coli can cause serious complications, including hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).
Nationwide, State-Wide, or Area-Wide Distribution
Food 4 Less Stores in IL and IN
Food Lion Stores in FL, GA, NC, SC, VA, WV
Harvey’s Stores in FL, GA, SC
Jay-C Food stores in IN
Kroger Stores in AR, IL, IN, KY, MI, MS, MO, OH, TN
Payless Super Market Stores in IN
Reid’s Stores in SC
Ruler Food Stores in IN
Save-A-Lot Stores East of the Rocky Mountains
Scott’s Stores in IN
Supervalu Stores NationwideDelaware
Dover AFB in Dover DelawareIllinois
Hilander, 2206 Barnes Blvd, Rockford IL-Illinois
Hilander, 3134 11th Street, Rockford IL-Illinois
Hilander, 2514 S. Alpine Rd., Rockford IL-Illinois
Hilander, 2601 N. Mulford Rd., Rockford IL-Illinois
Hilander, 3710 N. Main St., Rockford, IL-Illinois
Hilander, 1715 Rural St., Rockford IL-Illinois
Hilander, 4860 Hononegah Rd., Roscoe IL-IllinoisIndiana
Payless Super Market, 1845 N. Scatterfield Rd., Anderson IN-Indiana
Payless Super Market, 1900 Applewood Center Dr., Anderson IN-Indiana
Payless Super Market, 3050 Meridian, Anderson IN-Indiana
Ruler Food Store, 624 E. 16th St.,Bedford IN-Indiana
Ruler Food Store, 360 E. Main St., Bloomfield IN-Indiana
Owen’s, 1245 S. Jefferson, Huntington IN-Indiana
Owen’s, 2718 Guilford, Huntington IN-Indiana
Payless Super Market, 65 Beck Lane, Lafayette IN-Indiana
Payless Super Market, 2513 Maple Point Dr., Lafayette IN-Indiana
Owen’s, 903 Lincolnway S., Ligonier IN-Indiana
Ruler Food Store, 600 West Broadway St., Loogootee IN-Indiana
Ruler Food Store, 120 E. 2nd St., Madison IN-Indiana
Ruler Food Store, 1307 West Main St., Mitchell IN-Indiana
Ruler Food Store, 1503 West Broadway, Princeton IN-Indiana
Ruler Food Store, 805 S. Main St., Salem IN-Indiana
Owen’s, 302 W. Market, Warsaw IN-Indiana
Owen’s, 2211 E Center St., Warsaw IN-Indiana
Payless Super Market, 1032 Sagamore Pkwy West, West Lafayette IN-IndianaNorth Carolina
Bottom Dollar, 1327 E. Dixie Drive, Asheboro NC-North Carolina
Bottom Dollar, 1810 Hwy 64-70 S.E., Hickory NC-North Carolina
Bottom Dollar, 3136 E. Kivett Drive, High Point NC-North Carolina
Bottom Dollar, 235 East Plaza Drive, Mooresville NC-North Carolina
Bottom Dollar, 1136 W. Pine Street, Mount Airy NC-North Carolina
Risk of E. coli in Sprouts is Enough for Officials to Warn Against Feeding Sprouts to Young Children
Since 1996, there have been at least 30 reported outbreaks of foodborne illness associated with different types of raw and lightly cooked sprouts in the U.S. Most of these outbreaks were caused by E. coli and Salmonella.
Public health officials who study these outbreaks warn parents to be especially cautious if you have a child or someone in the family who is elderly or living with a compromised immune system. Certain experts — including epidemiologists at the Minnesota Department of Health — warn that children under 5 years of age, immunocompromised persons, pregnant women and the elderly should avoid eating sprouts (including alfalfa, clover, radish, and mung bean sprouts).
E. coli O157:H7 and other forms of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli can be life-threatening to young children because they are in the age group most at risk for a complication known as hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). This condition leads quickly to kidney failure after initial symptoms of E. coli (bloody diarrhea and painful stomach cramps) begin to subside. The infection, which attacks a person’s red blood cells, can also lead to stroke, paralysis, severe anemia and vascular injury in the heart and elsewhere. HUS survivors must spend the rest of their lives with affects of the disease, including hypertension, diabetes, kidney problems and other deficits.
In E. coli sprout outbreaks, unsanitary manufacturing practices and seed contamination are often to blame. There are a number of approved techniques to kill harmful bacteria that may be present on seeds and even tests for seeds during sprouting. But no treatment is guaranteed to eliminate all harmful bacteria and growers stick to food safety standards in varying degrees. Sprout E. coli outbreak investigations conducted by our law firm over the years has reaffirmed this premise time and time again.
Pritzker Olsen Attorneys is one of the very few legal groups in the country practicing extensively in the area of E. coli litigation, representing families and individuals who deserve compensation for medical bills, pain and suffering, lost time at work and other harms caused by the negligence of those who profit from selling food. Even we were taken aback this year at the power of a sprout E. coli outbreak in Europe, centered in northern Germany.
Amid panic and exhaustive efforts to find the source of the outbreak, upwards of 4,000 people became infected with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O104:H4 and more than 823 of those victims became patients with HUS, or hemolytic uremic syndrome. At least 45 people died. Ultimately, the outbreak was traced to contaminated sprout seeds imported from Egypt. The micro-organisms naturally multiply and cluster as the seeds sprout because they are grown in warm and moist environments. This is what creates the food safety risk and it’s a chronic problem that deserves much closer scrutiny by the industry and by regulators. While consumers should take precautions, they are not to blame when contaminated sprouts make someone seriously ill.
Cincinnati, Ohio E. coli O157:H7 Illnesses Linked to J.B. Meats Ground Beef and Hamburger Patties
After Cincinnati, Ohio health officials found a possible link between two cases of E. coli O157:H7 and hamburgers processed by J.B. Meats and served at area restaurants, the company recalled about 72,800 pounds of ground beef and hamburger patties due to possible contamination with E. coli O157:H7. The products subject to the J.B. Meats recall are 5 and 10 pound clear packages of ground beef and ground beef patties in various size packages that were processed on and can be identified by the dates Aug. 18, 2010 through Aug. 18, 2011. J.B. Meats is a Cincinnati, Ohio establishment.
The recalled ground beef and hamburger patties were sold to restaurants in the Cincinnati area, but the company did not say which restaurants. Each clear plastic bag and label bear the establishment number “EST. 1188” within the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s mark of inspection.
J.B. Meats said it was notified on Aug. 12 of an investigation of two E. coli O157:H7 illnesses. The Cincinnati Health Department reported there were two patients who became ill on July 20 and 21 that may have resulted from ground beef consumed on July 16 and 17, the company said.
Epidemiological and microbiological evidence points to a possible link between the ground beef products produced by J.B. Meats on July 15 and the illnesses in Cincinnati, Ohio. The company said the recall is precautionary, as there has been no conclusive link between the illnesses and the ground beef produced at the facility.
E. coli O157 can cause hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), both severe illnesses that can cause kidney failure, central nervous system damage (seizures, stroke, paralysis, etc.), heart failure, pancreatitis and death.
Michigan Ground Beef E. coli Probe Continues
McNees Meats and Wholesale LLC is a meat-processing and retail establishment in North Branch, Michigan, that has been linked by USDA to an outbreak of E. coli O157:NM that is believed to be ongoing. The Michigan Departments of Community Health (MDCH) and Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) have issued a public health alert and are continuing to investigate where 2,200 pounds of potentially contaminated ground beef from McNees was distributed.
Some restaurants purchased the ground beef and some of the nine victims of this outbreak are believed to have been sickened while dining out. The McNees recall also applies to certain packages of ground beef sold from its retail location in North Branch, Michigan.
Michigan officials have stated so far that five people are confirmed case patients in the outbreak while four others are probable case patients. Of special concern in this outbreak is that two-thirds of all people associated with it have had to be hospitalized for the seriousness of their illnesses. So far, no deaths have been reported.
The outbreak started in mid-July and patients have ranged in age from 15 to 88. Those affected live in the Michigan counties of Lapeer, Genesee, Isabella, and Sanilac.
Pritzker Olsen law firm is accepting cases from this outbreak for a possible ground beef E. coli lawsuit against McNees. Free case consultations are available at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or you may provide your contact information and an E. coli lawyer will call you.
Holding companies accountable for contamination in our food supply is an integral function of food safety in the United States. Harms caused by food poisoning — especially infections of E. coli O157 — can plague a person with long-lasting health concerns that should be monitored annually by a physician. Hospitalization, lost time at work, travel expense, pain, suffering, medical checkups and additional expenses are costs that victims should not shoulder when the cause of injury was a dangerous micro-organism spread by fecal contamination. E. coli outbreaks are preventable.
