Posts Tagged ‘food poisoning’

In news that is unfortunately starting to sound all too familiar, another lawsuit has been filed due to E. coli food poisoning. On July 16, 2009, attorneys filed a lawsuit in United States District Court in the Eastern District of Washington against JBS Swift & Company on behalf of a 16-month-old boy who was hospitalized after eating meat products manufactured and distributed by JBS Swift. After consuming the meat, the boy was rushed to the emergency room “writhing in pain” with severe gastrointestinal symptoms, including intense and bloody diarrhea and abdominal cramps. Stool samples revealed an E. coli infections and blood tests showed that he had developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a complication of E. coli infection which caused his kidneys to fail. After being hospitalized for three weeks and undergoing dialysis and blood transfusions, the boy was released. However, he still suffers from long-lasting damage from his illness and his kidneys are only functioning at 30% of normal.

The lawsuit is related to an E. coli outbreak in Swift meat products across nine states that the Center for Disease Control (CDC) linked to making at least 23 people sick. As a result of that outbreak, Swift had issued a voluntary recall of 420,000 pounds of beef on June 24, 2009.

E. coli outbreaks, as well as many other food poisoning outbreaks, have become more commonplace in recent years, which is a troubling sign. Consumers must be wary of such foodborne illnesses, and be on the lookout for possible food poisoning symptoms, such as severe diarrhea, bloody diarrhea, vomiting, and severe abdominal cramping. For more information about E. coli lawsuits, contact an E. coli food poisoning lawyer today.

On June 29, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) confirmed that samples of cookie dough taken from the Nestle factory in Danville, Virginia tested positive for E. coli O157:H7. Nestle recalled its refrigerated cookie dough products on June 19 when the FDA announced that it believed people were getting sick from eating raw dough contaminated with E. coli. The outbreak is surprising because cookie dough is not normally associated with E. coli contamination, although salmonella is sometimes a concern because raw dough contains uncooked eggs. Only Nestle refrigerated cookie and brownie dough has been recalled; other Nestle products appear to be unaffected.

E. coli is a bacterium that can cause infections in people when consumed in contaminated food products. So far 69 cases in 29 states have been reported to the Center for Disease Control. Of these, 34 required hospitalization and nine have developed Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome, which can cause kidney failure, but there have been no deaths linked to the outbreak.

Nestle cookie and brownie dough has been pulled from store shelves and the FDA is advising people who had previously purchased these products to throw them away. The agency also advises against baking the dough because it might contaminate kitchen utensils. Individuals who experience E. coli symptoms after consuming Nestle refrigerated cookie or brownie dough should see a doctor immediately. Read more about dangerous products.