Food Poisoning Law Blog : Food Poisoning Lawyer & Attorney : PritzkerLaw : Food Safety, Outbreaks & Recalls

The Mississippi State Department of Health has approved a food safety improvement plan from the Don Julio Mexican Restaurant in Corinth following a Salmonella outbreak that sickened 59 patrons and staff.

Liz Sharlot from the Health Department told djournal.com that Don Julio's has reopened after being shut down since December 8. The agency noted in a press release that its investigation showed the cause of the outbreak appeared to be isolated at the restaurant rather than being linked to an outside food producer or supplier.

If you or a loved one has been sickened in this outbreak, you have every right to consult with an experienced foodborne illness attorney about pursuing a claim. Salmonella lawyers at PritzkerOlsen Attorneys are investigating and accepting cases. Free case consultations are available at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or leave your contact information and a lawyer will call you.  Our firm is one of the very few U.S. legal groups practicing extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation and we have collected millions of dollars for Salmonella victims across the country -- handling their cases from start to finish.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), restaurants are the
most commonly identified setting for foodborne outbreaks.  Previous studies have shown that as many as 45 percent of confirmed food poisoning outbreaks reported to the CDC occurred in restaurants. Given that 80 percent of Americans eat out at least once per week, we need a better understanding of how and why food poisoning is transmitted in restaurants in order to develop better prevention measures.

In addition to serving victims of these outbreaks, Pritzker Olsen is actively involved in various causes and projects to prevent foodborne illness. Currently, one in six Americans each year gets sick from contaminated food.

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Health officials in New York are investigating an outbreak of Campylobacter  that has sickened at least seven people who ate at Hinerwadel's Grove in Syracuse, an establishment that has specialized in clam bakes for the past 91 years.

The Hinerwadel's Campylobacter announcement came from Dr. Cynthia Morrow, commissioner of health for Onondaga County. Dr. Morrow said in a news release that her agency is working with the New York State Department of Health to determine the source of the infection.

The seven confirmed cases ate at Hinerwadel's on September 15 and Dr. Morrow requests that anyone who became ill after eating at this facility on or after September 15 contact the Health Department. She anticipates that the number of people associated with this outbreak will grow . Meanwhile, the public is advised to seek treatment  from their health care provider if they are experiencing persistent symptoms of gastrointestinal illness. 

Campylobacter  infection is characterized by diarrheal illness, usually accompanied by fever, and abdominal cramps. Almost 99 percent of Campylobacteriosis is caused by Campylobacter jejuni. In rare cases, Campylobacter can cause Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), a servere illness that can lead to paralysis and death.

Typically, GBS associated with Campylobacter jejuni follows 1-3 weeks after infection and patients generally recover within weeks to months. However, there is a 2-3% mortality rate and 20% of GBS cases may have significant and lasting neurologic effects.

Victims of the Hinerwadel's Campylobacter outbreak who are seeking compensation for medical bills, lost wages, travel expense and other costs can present their case to an experienced Campylobacter attorney at PritzkerOlsen, P.A., at 1-888-377-8900 (TOLL FREE) or by completing the contact form on the side of this Web page.

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The Los Dos Amigos Salmonella outbreak in Roseburg, Oregon, remains under investigation by Douglas County Public Health with tests pending on samples taken from the downtown restaurant.

When the outbreak was first announced April 28, Public Health Division Director Dawnelle Marshall said there were seven confirmed cases of  salmonellosis. Yesterday she reported to KPIC News that the number of Los Dos Amigos Salmonella infections now stands at 17.

Marshall told the news station that sampling is pending and results should be available later in the week.

"We've not been able to pinpoint the source, whether that is a food item, whether there is cross-contamination. We have not been able to do that, but we do have sampling that is pending, and those results should be in later this week," Marshall said.

Some ill persons have become very sick, requiring hospitalization. Initial investigation results show that people who became ill at Los Dos Amigos Restaurant on Jackson Street between April 9 and April 17.

Food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen is monitoring the outbreak and has reviewed Douglas County Public Health restaurant inspection records. Interestingly, the downtown location of Los Dos Amigos had a lower score on its most recent inspection (2010) than it did last year.

The score from year to year dropped from 87 to 80 and the number of "critical violations" increased from two to three. Of more than 180 restaurants inspected in Roseburg in 2010, fewer than a dozen had 3 or more "critical violations,'' according to the law firm's review.

Critical violations are more likely to contribute to food contamination and illness than other violations, according to the county restaurant inspection criteria. These include but are not limited to:

• Personal hygiene is inadequate (hand washing, etc.)
• Foods held at improper temperatures.
• Foods are not date-marked or discarded upon expiration.
• Cross-contamination risk
• Food is improperly cooled or reheated.
• Raw animal foods are improperly cooked.
• Food is from unapproved sources or prepared at home.
• Presence of rodents or insects.

If you or a loved one was sickened in the Los Dos Amigos Salmonella outbreak, a food poisoning attorney at Pritzker Olsen could answer your legal questions and provide a free case consultation. You can contact our office by calling 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or by completing the online contact form on the side of this Web page.

Our law firm is one of the few in the country practicing extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation and we have recovered millions over the years for victims of Salmonella and other food poisoning.

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The Minnesota Department of Health is investigating a possible outbreak of Norovirus in Baxter, Minnesota, stemming from a church banquet last Sunday that was held as a fundraiser.

WCCO-TV reports that 275 people attended the Pathways of Brainerd fundraiser at Lakewood Evangelical Free Church. The problem was reported Thursday and there are no reports yet as to how many people were sickened.

The health department told WCCO that the fundraiser was catered by Baxter's Prairie Bay Restaurant.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, noroviruses are a specific group of viruses that can cause gastroenteritis -- inflammation of the stomach and intestines. The main symptoms are diarrhea, vomiting and stomach pain. Some people might experience fever, chills, headache, muscle aches and fatigue.

Norovirus symptoms usually appear one or two days after eating the contaminated food, but can start in as few as 12 hours. Most healthy people recover without treatment, but infections can cause dehydration that can cause serious problems.

If you or someone you know was sickened at the banquet and have legal questions about the outbreak, call a food safety lawyer at Pritzker Olsen in Minneapolis for a free consultation at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete the consultation form on the side of this Web page.

Our law firm practices extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation and has years of experience representing victims of food poisoning.

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An oyster harvesting area off the Louisiana coast will remain closed for at least 21 days in connection with a Norovirus outbreak that occurred at a seafood conference in Mississippi.

The closure of the Plaquemines Parish molluscan shellfish harvesting area was ordered by the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals Wednesday. The order also recalled all oysters harvested from the area since March 6, including shucked, frozen, breaded and post-harvest processed oysters, and oysters for the half shell market.

"Health Officer Dr. Jimmy Guidry signed the closure order when the Department was notified by the Mississippi State Department of Health that a Norovirus outbreak may have been caused by oysters harvested from Basin 4, Area 7,'' said a press release. 

Eleven people at the seafood conference were sickened and one was hospitalized.

Norovirus is a virus that causes flu-like symptoms of nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and stomach cramping for one to two days on average. Occasional symptoms may include low-grade fever, chills, headache, muscle aches and fatigue.

The food most commonly associated with Norovirus outbreaks is shellfish. Clams, oysters and other shellfish can become contaminated from raw sewage dumped by boaters. Water, ice, produce and ready-to-eat foods are also common sources of Norovirus infection.

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The Rhode Island Department of Health is leading a national study on whether dirty or badly designed meat slicers in widespread use at delis and markets are making people sick with Salmonella or Listeria poisoning. 

Providence-based WPRI-TV said the national study was prompted by two Salmonella outbreaks that were traced to poorly designed deli slicers in Washington and Georgia. So far, state health inspectors have swabbed and taken apart slicers in 14 delis and markets in Rhode Island, the station reported.

"The goal is to identify to what extent deli slicers are causing illness,"  said Ernie Julian, director of food protection for the state health department.

According to the television report, inspectors have been finding unhealthy conditions where particles of meat get trapped and drip on freshly cut meat -- setting up the possibility of cross-contamination. The debris gets trapped in hard-to-reach areas and not all delis or markets conduct thorough cleaning every four hours, as recommended.

Some of the machines can't be cleaned effectively because of their design, investigators are finding. Full results of the study are pending while the investigation continues.

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Paramedics were called to a restaurant Friday night in Raleigh, North Carolina, to attend to at least nine cases of possible foodborne illness.

Independent Weekly quoted a Wake County health official saying that an outbreak of illness was under investigation, but the official wouldn't even say if the patients ate at the same restaurant.

"Typically we don't implicate a facility until we have confirmation of lab results,'' Andre Pierce, director of environmental health and safety division of the county's environmental services division, told the weekly. "The investigation is ongoing and we don't have any results yet.''

But the newspaper checked with the Raleigh-Wake 911 Center and an official there said the center received an emergency call shortly before 10 p.m. Friday for help at Evoo, a Mediterranean restaurant in Raleigh's Five Points.

When the paramedic unit arrived, it called for backup and additional personnel were dispatched to the scene. In all, the newspaper reported, nine rescuers attended to victims at the restaurant.

According to the online comments of an unidentified reader of the Independent Weekly story, investigators are not only investigating for possible food poisoning. Reportedly, the officials also are looking at the possibility that a virus was brought into the restaurant by a customer or third party.

If you or someone you know has become seriously ill from food poisoning, call a food poisoning attorney at PritzkerOlsen, P.A., one of the few law firms in the country practicing extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation. Our lawyers are recognized nationally and have been quoted or featured in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Associated Press, CNN, Fox News and CBS News.

To contact one of our attorneys, call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or complete one of our free online case consultation forms.

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