Ten swabs taken from various surfaces at the facility tested positive for E. coli O157:H7. Two of them had the same, identical DNA fingerprint of the strain that sickened the kids. The results were relayed to farm officials in a letter from the California Department of Public Health that became public this week. An offical at the farm was quoted by the Associated Press as saying they accept the findings but are puzzled by the location of the germs — away from milk production areas.
The Organic Pastures E. coli outbreak prompted state officials last year to quarantine the operation’s raw milk products for about a month. All five children had consumed raw, unpasteurized milk from the company, which made the farm the likely source of the outbreak. The quarantine was lifted December 16 after sanitation requirements were fulfilled.
Raw milk has been found to contain numerous pathogens that can cause serious illness, including Campylobacter, Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Listeria, Yersinia and Brucella and the bacteria that cause bovine tuberculosis. Pasteurization was developed many years ago as a way to reduce diseases that were commonly caused by raw milk, but the practice of selling raw milk has continued at great risk to consumers.
If your child has been diagnosed with a an E. coli infection after drinking Organic Pastures raw milk, you may have a claim against Organic Pastures for your medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, emotional distress and other damages. Contact our attorneys for a free consultation.

E. coli lawyer Fred Pritzker is investigating The Ambassador restaurant E. coli outbreak that sickened at least seven people, including four who were hospitalized. The infected customers ate at the restaurant around Christmas. Others who became ill with diarrhea after eating at the restaurant are encouraged to report their experience to an attorney or the Western Upper Peninsula Health Department.

E. coli O157:H7, the pathogen transmitted by the restaurant worker, is a potentially deadly bacterium that causes hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) or thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP). Both of these diseases shut down a person’s kidneys and can lead to other severe illness, including strokes, anemia, heart attack and paralysis.

A study on file with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that transmission of pathogens from food workers to the food they handle is implicated as a contributing factor in approximately 20 percent of foodborne illness outbreaks. The study authors interviewed food workers in nine states and found that 12 percent of them had worked while suffering from vomiting or diarrhea on two or more shifts in the previous year. Factors associated with workers having worked while experiencing vomiting or diarrhea were:

1. High volume of meals served.
2. Lack of policies requiring workers to report illness to managers.
3. Lack of on-call workers.
4. Lack of manager experience.

The findings of this study and others suggest that policies that encourage workers to tell managers when they are ill can help mitigate pressures to work.

Regulations vary with jurisdictions, but it is the responsibility of restaurant owners to train staff members to stay away from work while they are sick. In cases where the workers are confirmed to be infected with E. coli, Salmonella, Shigella or Hepatitis A, they should be tested by a health care provider before they are cleared to return to work.

Any Ambassador E. coli lawsuit stemming from this outbreak will examine what policies were in place at the restaurant and whether reporting mandates from the local or state health departments were followed.

If you or a loved on was sickened in this outbreak, call Mr. Pritzker at 1-888-377-8900 or leave your contact information and he or another attorney from the firm will call you. The law firm he founded, Pritzker Olsen Attorneys, is one of the very few legal groups in the country practicing extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation. We have collected millions for victims of restaurant outbreaks and have represented Michigan and Wisconsin clients in numerous cases. Our law firm does not charge its clients until a claim is won for them.

The Ambassador’s outbreak was announced by Dr. Terry Frankovich, an area medical director. The public health investigation is being conducted by the Western Upper Peninsula Health Department, she said, and officials suspect others could have become ill and not realized they were part of an outbreak.

The Ambassador has remained open for business and has been working in cooperation with authorities. E. coli O157:H7 is a feared pathogen that can cause life-threatening hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which happens in about 8 percent of cases. HUS victims lose kidney function and often require blood transfusions. HUS also can cause stroke, heart attack, attacks on the central nervous system and severe anemia.
Studies have shown that even mild E. coli infections can carry negative health reprecussions throughout a person’s life. A good E. coli lawyer will seek claim compensation full enough to fairly cover victims for all past and future harms.

If you or a loved one has been sickened in this outbreak, contact Pritzker Olsen for a free case consultation by leaving your contact information or calling 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free). A State Fair E. coli lawsuit will consider why the safety and well-being of children and others was not adequately protected.
Pritzker Olsen is a national food safety law firm with many years of experience in outbreak investigations and E. coli litigation. We have won tens of millions of dollars over the years for those who have been harmed by negligence. Our firm also is actively involved in multiple efforts to prevent the spread of pathogens that cause foodborne illness. Outbreaks are preventable and legal action, in our experience, is a meaningful agent for systematic change.

The organism at the root of the European sprouts outbreak was new, dubbed E. coli O104:H4, and it followed an unusual pattern by mainly affecting adults (instead of young children and the elderly) and taking longer to exhibit symptoms — eight days instead of three or four.

In 2011, the only other outbreak of foodborne illness that came close to being as destructive was the cantaloupe Listeria outbreak that killed 31 people in the U.S.  But there were plenty of other highlights in the realm of shiga-toxin producing E. coli. Here is a breakdown of the larger outbreaks provided by the E. coli lawyers at Pritzker Olsen Attorneys. Our firm represents victims of E. coli poisoning across the country and has collected tens of millions of dollars in recoveries for individuals and families who become sick through no fault of their own:

In October, state and federal public health officials discovered that leaves of romaine lettuce served at certain grocery store salad bars in Missouri were associated with a growing number of infections of E. coli O157:H7. When the investigation matured, officials had traced the source of the outbreak to a single farm whose lettuce also was linked to illnesses at university campuses in Minnesota and Missouri. At least 60 people were sickened in 10 states. Missouri was hit hardest and lawsuits have been filed there against Schnucks supermarket chain.
Though it did not go down as a multi-state outbreak tracked publicly by the CDC, the E. coli O157:H7 outbreak that sickened attendees of the North Carolina State Fair was exceptionally big and was ultimately traced to one of the fair’s livestock exhibits. At least twenty-seven people were infected.
In August, at least nine people fell ill and one died in another single-state outbreak of toxic E. coli. The illnesses were linked to contaminated strawberries from Oregon’s Jaquith Starwberry Farm.
Ground beef is perenially one of the most common carriers of shiga toxin-producing E. coli and 2011 included a number of large recalls of E. coli-tainted hamburger. In September, Ohio state health authorities reported a cluster of E. coli O157:H7 illnesses in Butler County. An investigation led to the recall of 131,300 pounds of ground beef products from Tyson Fresh Meats Inc., of Emporia, Kansas.
A similar situation occurred in Michigan in July when E. coli O157 was linked to eating ground beef processed and distributed by McNees Meats and Wholesale LLC, a North Branch, Michigan, establishment. A total of five confirmed Shiga-toxin producing E. coli cases and four probable cases were reported in Lapeer, Genesee, Isabella, and Sanilac counties.
Also in July, health officials in Pennsylvania were notified of an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 among swimmers at Cowans Gap State Park near Chambersberg. At least 14 people became infected and the beach was closed for the remainder of the season. At least five of the case patients developed potentially deadly hemolytic uremic children (HUS), a complication including kidney failure that most often affects children under age five and the elderly or immuno-compromised.

In California, the state quarantined and recalled raw milk from Organic Pastures in Fresno County following a notification from the California Department of Public Health that a cluster of five children were infected, from August through October, with the same strain of E. coli O157:H7 as was found in the milk. The children are residents of Contra Costa, Kings, Sacramento, and San Diego counties.
Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina and Ohio combined in March to confirm 14 cases of E. coli O157:H7 all from the same strain. An investigation involving federal agencies associated the outbreak with Lebanon bologna — a semi-dry sausage that appears similar to salami. As a result, Palmyra Bologna Company, of Palmyra, Pennsylvania, recalled approximately 23,000 pounds of Lebanon bologna products that may have been contaminated with E. coli 0157:H7.
In-shell hazelnuts were implicated in 2011′s first outbreak of E. coli. People in several states had fallen ill starting in December and continuing through Valentine’s Day. As April 1, 2011, eight persons were infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7 were reported from Michigan (1), Minnesota (3), and Wisconsin (4). The investigation led to a recall of bulk and consumer-packaged in-shell hazelnuts sold by DeFranco & Sons of Los Angeles. The nuts were sold by retailers nationwide.

The outbreak, which initially was thought to have stricken 37 salad bar customers at Schnucks grocery stores in the St. Louis area, was linked to a single lot of Romaine lettuce grown on a California farm.

The search for the source has been ongoing sine the outbreak began on October 10. Because multiple tests at various Schnucks locations never revealed the presence of E.coli, the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expanded the traceback investigation to include suppliers and distributors of the grocery chain.

Working with several state agencies, the FDA conducted traceback investigations for romaine lettuce to try to identify the source of contamination. Traceback analysis determined that a single common lot of romaine lettuce harvested from a California farm was used to supply the Schnucks grocery store chain as well as the university campus in Minnesota during the time of the illnesses. The same lot was also provided to a distributor that supplied lettuce to the university campus in Missouri, but records were not sufficient to determine if this lot was sent to this university campus.

As of November 30, 2011, 60 people had been infected with the same strain of E. coli 0157:H7. The confirmed illnesses by state are as follows: Arizona (1), Arkansas (2), Georgia (1), Illinois (9), Indiana (2), Kansas (3), Kentucky (1), Minnesota (3), Missouri (37), and Nebraska (1).

An E.coli infection can create serious illness. Most people infected with E. coli O157:H7 develop bloody diarrhea and abdominal cramps 2-8 days after swallowing the organism, but some illnesses last longer and are more severe. A type of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) can begin as the diarrhea is improving; this condition can occur among persons of any age but is most common in children under 5 years old and the elderly. Signs and symptoms of HUS may include fever, abdominal pain, pale skin tone, fatigue and irritability, small, unexplained bruises or bleeding from the nose and mouth, decreased urination, and swelling of the face, hands, feet, or entire body. Persons who experience these symptoms and believe they are at risk for HUS should seek emergency medical care immediately.

Anyone with legal questions about an illness or hospitalization associated with this outbreak should contact the foodborne illness attorneys at PritzkerOlsen for a free consultation.

The Fresno County Department of Health has inspected Organic Pastures 10 times over the last 15 months. Four of those were routine inspections where “significant violations” were found that required mandatory re-inspection. Some of these violations were for unsanitary conditions, such as a broken toilet, lack of hot water for hand washing in the bathroom sink, manure on barn walls and exit ramps and under barn mats, all of which were cited in a report from August 24, 2010. Other reports site the lack of a concrete pad at a docking station and beneath a mobile barn.

• On September 12, 2008, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CFDA) issued a recall for raw cream manufactured at the dairy after tests showed it was contaminated with Campylobacter.
• On September 7, 2007, the CFDA issued a recall for raw cream manufactured at the dairy after Listeria monocytogenes bacteria turned up on a routine inspection.
• On September 21, 2006, the CFDA issued a recall after four children contracted E. coli infections after consuming raw milk products from the dairy.

Campylobacter, Listeria and E. coli are all dangerous pathogens that can cause serious sometimes fatal infections. With all foodborne illnesses, children are among those most a risk for serious complications, including hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) which can lead to kidney failure.

A press release on the Organic Pastures website states:

“It is a common goal of Organic Pastures and the California Department of Public Health to rapidly investigate any linkage between these cases and raw milk. Each month CDFA tests all Organic Pastures’ products for pathogens, in addition Organic Pastures uses a third party for pathogen testing multiple times per week. All these tests have been negative. It has been reported to us by the California Department of Public Health that as of today all products collected from the ill patients have been negative for E. Coli 0157:H7.”

But a review of  CFDA inspections does support the claim that the dairy is inspected each month. Four of the 10 inspections during the last 15 months were mandatory re-inspections. Had they not been required, the dairy would have had six inspections during a 15 month period.

In a USA Today story, McAfee says that the state of California has no evidence that shows children drank contaminated milk and that he finds the case “highly suspicious.” But, as Steve Lyle  of the CFDA countered in the story,  ”milk is perishable, so the product consumed by the children was not available for testing” by the time they got sick “and that’s typically to be expected.”

Anyone who experiences abdominal cramping or bloody diarrhea after consuming raw milk products should seek immediate medical attention. Those with questions regarding an illness or hospitalization associated with this outbreak should contact the national food safety law firm PritzkerOslen P.A. for a free consultation.

Every outbreak linked to raw milk is a tragedy that could have been prevented. Today, the California Department of Food and Agriculture announced a recall and quarantine of raw milk after an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections was linked by epidemiological evidence to Organic Pastures of Fresno County. Five children were infected with the same strain of E. coli O157:H7 after drinking raw milk produced by Organic Pastures. These children are residents of Contra Costa, Kings, Sacramento, and San Diego counties.

Three of the five children were hospitalized with hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a serious condition that may lead to kidney failure, stroke, brain damage, pancreatitis, heart failure and a host of other serious medical problems. My experience is that parents who let their children drink raw milk believe raw milk is the healthiest option. The parents are not told that raw milk can contain pathogens so dangerous that their child could be permanently disabled or killed. They are not told that young children are at greater risk of contracting these infections and getting really sick from them.

Below is information about raw milk from the CDC:

Raw milk can carry harmful germs that can make you very sick or kill you. If you’re thinking about drinking raw milk because you believe it has health benefits, consider other options.

 

Trying to decide about raw milk?

 

Developing a healthy lifestyle is a process with many decisions and steps. One step you might be thinking about is adding raw milk to your diet. Raw milk is milk that has not been pasteurized to kill harmful germs. Germs include bacteria, viruses, and parasites. It’s important to understand the risks of drinking raw milk, especially because you may be hearing claims about the supposed “benefits” of raw milk.

 

Raw milk contains bacteria, and some of them can be harmful. So, if you’re thinking about consuming raw milk because you believe that it is a good source of beneficial bacteria, you need to know that it isn’t and you may instead get sick from the harmful bacteria. If you think that certain types of bacteria may be beneficial to your health, consider getting them from foods that don’t involve such a high risk. For example, so-called probiotic bacteria are sometimes added to pasteurized fermented foods, such as yogurt and kefir.

 

Milk and products made from milk need minimal processing, called pasteurization, which can be done by heating the milk briefly (for example, heating it to 161°F for about 20 seconds). When milk is pasteurized, some bacteria remain in it, but the disease-causing ones are killed. Harmful germs usually don’t change the look, taste, or smell of milk, so only when milk has been pasteurized can you be confident that these germs are not present. To ensure that milk is safe, processors rapidly cool it after pasteurization, practice sanitary handling, and store milk in clean, closed containers at 45°F or below.

 

Remember, you can’t look at, smell, or taste a bottle of raw milk and tell if it’s safe to drink. Make the best decision for the health of your family. If you want to keep milk in your family’s diet, protect them by not giving them raw milk. Even healthy adults can get sick from drinking raw milk. If you’re thinking about drinking raw milk because you believe it has health benefits, consider other options.

 

Who is at greatest risk of getting sick from drinking raw milk?

 

The risk of getting sick from drinking raw milk is greater for infants and young children, the elderly, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems, such as people with cancer, an organ transplant, or HIV/AIDS, than it is for healthy school-aged children and adults. But, it is important to remember that healthy people of any age can get very sick or even die if they drink raw milk contaminated with harmful germs.

 

What are the risks associated with drinking raw milk?

 

Raw milk can carry harmful bacteria and other germs that can make you very sick or kill you. While it is possible to get foodborne illnesses from many different foods, raw milk is one of the riskiest of all.

 

Getting sick from raw milk can mean many days of diarrhea, stomach cramping, and vomiting. Less commonly, it can mean kidney failure, paralysis, chronic disorders, and even death.

 

Many people who chose raw milk thinking they would improve their health instead found themselves (or their loved ones) sick in a hospital for several weeks fighting for their lives from infections caused by germs in raw milk. For example, a person can develop severe or even life-threatening diseases, such as Guillain-Barré syndrome, which can cause paralysis, and hemolytic uremic syndrome, which can result in kidney failure and stroke.

 

Aren’t raw or natural foods better than processed foods?

 

Many people believe that foods with no or minimal processing are better for their health. Many people also believe that small, local farms are better sources of healthy food. However, some types of processing are needed to protect health. For example, consumers process raw meat, poultry, and fish for safety by cooking. Similarly, when milk is pasteurized, it is heated just long enough to kill disease-causing germs. Most nutrients remain after milk is pasteurized. There are many local, small farms that offer pasteurized organic milk and cheese products.

 

I’ve heard that many organic and raw milk producers are creating sanitary and humane conditions for raising animals and producing “safe” raw milk and raw milk products (like cheeses and yogurts). Does this help reduce milk contamination?

 

Adherence to good hygienic practices during milking can reduce, but not eliminate, the risk of milk contamination. The dairy farm environment is a reservoir for illness-causing germs. No matter what precautions farmers take, and even if their raw milk tests come back negative, they cannot guarantee that their milk, or the products made from their milk, are free of harmful germs.

 

• Germs such as Escherichia coli O157, Campylobacter, and Salmonella can contaminate milk during the process of milking dairy animals, including cows and goats. Animals that carry these germs are usually healthy.

How does milk get contaminated?

Milk contamination may occur from:

• Cow feces coming into direct contact with the milk
• Infection of the cow’s udder (mastitis)
• Cow diseases (e.g., bovine tuberculosis)
• Bacteria that live on the skin of cows
• Environment (e.g., feces, dirt, processing equipment)
• Insects, rodents, and other animal vectors
• Humans, for example, by cross-contamination from soiled clothing and boots

 

Pasteurization is the only way to kill many of the bacteria in milk that can make people very sick.

 

Information about raw milk-related outbreaks

 

States that allow the legal sale of raw milk for human consumption have more raw milk-related outbreaks of illness than states that do not allow raw milk to be sold legally.

 

Among dairy product-associated outbreaks reported to CDC between 1973 and 2008 in which the investigators reported whether the product was pasteurized or raw, 82% were due to raw milk or cheese. From 1998 through 2008, 86 outbreaks due to consumption of raw milk or raw milk products were reported to CDC. These resulted in 1,676 illnesses, 191 hospitalizations, and 2 deaths. Most of these illnesses were caused by Escherichia coli O157, Campylobacter, or Salmonella. It is important to note that a substantial proportion of the raw milk-associated disease burden falls on children; among the 86 raw dairy product outbreaks from 1998 to 2008, 79% involved at least one person less than 20 years old.

 

Reported outbreaks represent the tip of the iceberg. For every outbreak and every illness reported, many others occur, and most illnesses are not part of recognized outbreaks.

“We know that E. coli 0157 is often found in the intestines of ruminant animals, which include cows, goats and sheep,” Davies said. “These bacteria are shed in the animal’s feces, so if it is on the animal itself or surfaces around the animal that someone touches, the bacteria can be transmitted to that person.”

North Carolina officials are investigating 27 cases related to the North Carolina State Fair outbreak. To date, they have confirmed 11 cases. Of the 11 confirmed cases, 10 were confirmed by the State Laboratory of Public Health as being E. coli 0157:H7 with matching PFGE patterns (DNA fingerprinting). The 11th case did not have laboratory confirmation of E.coli O157:H7, but had hemolytic uremic syndrome, an uncommon, but serious complication of E. coli 0157:H7 infection. The remaining 16 cases were clinically confirmed as connected to the outbreak, meaning they had symptoms consistent with E. coli 0157:H7.

The latest numbers and counties involved include the following:

Wake – 13
Sampson – 6
Cleveland – 1
Durham – 1
Johnston – 1
Lenoir – 1
Orange – 2
Wilson – 2

“This outbreak highlights the need for more protective measures at animal exhibits. Young children are most at risk. The burden should not be placed on parents, but fair officials and animal exhibitors need to make sure the animals are clean and tested,” said Attorney Fred Pritzker, who represents E. coli victims and is representing a young boy who contracted E. coli from a petting zoo in 2010.

The Kelley Building was implicated after a carefully conducted case-control study involving 27 individuals identified as having contracted E. coli after attending the fair in October and another 87 individuals who attended the fair, but did not get sick. Investigators from the Division of Public Health did phone and in-person interviews using a survey tool developed for this purpose that asked a comprehensive series of questions about activities at the fair. Activities included animal exhibits, foods, rides and attractions.

The source of the outbreak is not yet known, and in cases like this involving inmates, it is best for families to hire an E. coli lawyer to help with the investigation and to protect the E. coli victims’ rights. Contact our E. coli lawyers for a free consultation.

Source: http://www.9news.com/news/local/article/228582/346/E-coli-outbreak-in-county-jail