Lawyer for NC State Fair E. coli Victims Studying What Safeguards Were in Place to Protect Kids, Adults
Despite the obvious risk of E. coli transmission, a quarter of the people who attended livestock exhibits at the North Carolina State Fair had physical contact with the animals in a setting that gave way to an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 that hospitalized eight people.
Four of those victims suffered a life-threatening complication of the infection known as hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a disease that shuts down a person’s kidneys and can lead to stroke, heart attack and central nervous system damage.
HUS E. coli lawyers from Pritzker Olsen Attorneys have been in contact with families affected by this dangerous spread of bacteria. Our attorneys are conducting an investigation of what preventive measures were in place to stop the spread of pathogens that are well known risks at fairs, shows and petting zoos.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said this week that some measures were in place, but a North Carolina task force is also studying the extent of prevention.
Twenty-five case patients got sick between October 16–25. Fair officials were notified a day after the fair ended in Raleigh that four people were confirmed to have infections from the same strain of E. coli. In all, approximately 1 million visitors had attended the fair.
According to the CDC, the only exposure associated with illness was having visited one of the permanent structures in which sheep, goats, and pigs were housed for livestock competitions. “Fair attendees were not intended to have physical contact with animals in the building; however, 25 percent of case-patients (three of 12) and 24 percent of control subjects (five of 21) who visited the building reported direct contact with animals.”
The report noted that a previous E. coli outbreak was linked to a petting zoo at the 2004 North Carolina State Fair, resulting in 187 illness, 15 of which were complicated by HUS. The 2004 outbreak led to the passage of Aedin’s Law in North Carolina, which created regulations for exhibitions housing animals intended for physical contact. The CDC report said the 2011 animal exhibits didn’t fall under the law, but nonetheless some prevention measures were adopted from national guidelines that apply to having animals in public settings.
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.
Organic Pastures Raw Milk Linked to E. coli and HUS Outbreak in California
I represent people sickened by raw milk due to contamination with E. coli O157:H7 and other dangerous pathogens. Raw milk can cause kidney failure, brain damage, paralysis and death. I know because I have stood by the bedsides of people who innocently drank raw milk and ended up hooked up to life support fighting for their lives. I have one client who is paralyzed from the neck down after drinking raw milk.
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.
North Carolina Fair E. coli Outbreak Update and Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome Information
The N.C. Division of Public Health reports that it is now investigating 24 cases related to the E. coli outbreak associated with attending the North Carolina State Fair in Raleigh. Nine E. coli cases are confirmed; 15 cases are still being investigated. Some of the children have also developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, discussed below.
The latest numbers and counties involved include the following:
Wake – 11
Sampson – 7
Cleveland – 1
Durham – 1
Johnston – 1
Orange – 1
Wilson – 2
Our E. coli lawyers are investigating this outbreak and are available for a free consultation.
Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome from an E. coli Infection
E. coli infections can cause hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), one of the leading causes of kidney failure in the United States. Young children, the elderly, and people with other medical conditions are greatest risk of developing HUS, but we have represented young, otherwise healthy, older children and adults who developed HUS. If not treated very soon after symptoms manifest, HUS can lead to death, so it is essential that people with E. coli receive prompt medical treatment. However, HUS can be extremely fast moving, too fast for early treatment. We say this because parents absolutely should not feel that it is in any way their fault that their child is severely sickened with E. coli-HUS.
Clues that a person is developing HUS include decreased frequency of urination and anemia, which may result in fatigue and losing pink color in cheeks and inside the lower eyelids. People with HUS should be hospitalized because their kidneys may stop working and they may develop other serious problems, including stroke, blindness, heart attack, pancreatitis, sepsis and respiratory failure. HUS patients fight for their lives, sometimes for weeks or months.
HUS can cause permanent damage and always involves the risk of future kidney problems. Those legally responsible for E. coli and HUS should be held accountable for all past, present and future medical expenses, pain and suffering, and lost wages caused by the E. coli poisoning.
Two Children Hospitalized With E.coli-HUS in Michigan
Michigan health officials are searching for the source of an E. colioutbreak that sickened three people including two children from Maple Rapids who have been hospitalized with hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).
HUS, a condition that develops after and E. coli infection, is characterized by damage and destruction of the red blood cells, which leads anemia, blood clots, and damage to blood vessel walls. Complications of HUS are severe and can include kidney damage, seizures, coma, stroke and damage to the central nervous system. HUS most often affects children under the age of 10.
E. coli, a bacterium normally found in the gut of animals such as cattle, sheep, pigs, and deer, is spread by the fecal-oral route, through undercooked ground beef, unpasteurized milk or beverages. Symptoms of an E. coli infection include nausea, low-grade fever, loss of appetite, vomiting, abdominal bloating, and diarrhea, which can sometimes be bloody. Health officials urge anyone in the Maple Rapids area with these symptoms to see a doctor right away.
The affects of an E. coli infection can be long lasting and expensive. The E. coli lawyers at PritzkerOlsen P.A., a national leader in food safety law, have helped families all over the country who have faced the devastating affects of E. coli and HUS. Contact them for a free consultation by clicking here or by calling TOLL FREE at 1 (888) 377-8900.
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.
