Arizona GBS Cluster Investigation Focuses on Link to Campylobacter
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Guillian-Barre' Syndrome, or GBS, is a dreaded medical condition that often causes muscle weakness or paralysis. It is known to follow infection and is seen during outbreaks of Campylobacter, a foodborne illness that causes diarrhea and other gastrointestinal distress.
In Yuma County Arizona and across the border in Sonora, Mexico, public health officials this week are traveling across their respective borders to conduct a joint investigation of an unusual GBS cluster that may or may not have its origins in an outbreak of Campylobacter. With a combined 24 cases of GBS, officials are scrambling to find the cause, according to a news release from the Arizona Department of Health Services.
“We recognize that this apparent cluster of Guillain-Barré Syndrome cases is of great concern to the community,” said Shoana Anderson, Office Chief of Infectious Disease at ADHS. “One potential cause we’ve identified is Campylobacter bacteria, a commonly-identified organism that can precede Guillain-Barré. While there have been more cases of Campylobacter this year, we have not yet positively confirmed that it is responsible for these Guillain-Barré infections.”
The first signs of GBS are muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis. It usually appears after someone has been sick with an infection, often with diarrhea. The key is to find the root cause of the infection.
National food safety law firm PritzkerOlsen, P.A., is monitoring this outbreak investigation and will answer legal questions from any family or individual who has been victimized by GBS. Send contact information or call 1-888-377-8900 (TOLL FREE) to receive a no-fee consultation.
Our firm currently represents a Pennsylvania man who was horribly paralyzed by GBS following a Campylobacter infection he contracted in an outbreak linked to contaminated raw milk. We also have represented other GBS patients and have collected tens of millions of dollars over the years for victims of all kinds of food poisoning.
