Illinois Subway Salmonella Outbreak Report

Posted on October 22, 2010 by PritzkerLaw

The Illinois Subway Salmonella Outbreak that sickened at least 97 customers at 49 Subway locations in late April, May and June was likely caused by contaminated lettuce, tomatoes or olives from a common supplier, according to a report by the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Produce samples did not test positive for the outbreak strain of Salmonella Hvittingfoss, but detailed questionnaires of victims indicated the probability of the three sandwich toppings as the cause. The report said Sysco Central Illinois Inc. of Lincoln, Illinois, was the supplier of the statistically linked lettuce, olives and store-sliced tomatoes.

All victims were Illinois residents or out-of-state visitors who ate at one of 49 Subway stores in 28 Illinois counties. Twenty-eight people were hospitalized for stays ranging from one day to nine days.

The summary report on the outbreak that spawned a Subway Salmonella lawsuit also said that 12 Subway foodhandlers tested positive for the outbreak strain of Salmonella. It is possible for the bacteria to be transmitted person to person when infected individuals don't properly wash their hands after going to the toilet.  The report said the 12 infected foodhandlers worked at seven stores in seven different counties.

Besides the confirmed cases, Illinois health officials reported six probable cases and 89 suspected cases. Food safety lawyers from PritzkerOlsen, P.A., are representing victims of this outbreak and they continue to accept cases at 1-888-377-8900 (TOLL FREE) or by completing the contact form on the side of this Web page.

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Illinois Subway Salmonella Victim Represented by Pritzker Olsen

Posted on June 22, 2010 by PritzkerLaw

A woman from central Illinois who was hospitalized in the Illinois Subway restaurant outbreak has retained law firm Pritzker Olsen to represent her in Subway Salmonella litigation. 

The 52-year-old resident of Tazewell County is one of at least 97 people who have tested positive for the same strain of Salmonella Hvittingfoss in an outbreak linked to more than 40 Subway locations in 28 Illinois counties.
 
Pritzker Olsen is in contact with other victims and continues to accept cases for an Illinois Subway Salmonella lawsuit. To contact the firm call 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete the online contact form on the right side of this Web page.
 
Fred Pritzker, founder and president of Pritzker Olsen, said the client ate an oven-roasted chicken sub on May 11 at the Subway on 603 Jackson Street in Morton, Illinois. She was hospitalized for several days after suffering gastroenteritis and cramping with severe vomiting.
“This outbreak emphasizes the importance of proper restaurant training, including an emphasis on thorough hand washing,’’ Pritzker said. “There has been an unacceptable gap in food safety.’’
Pritzker said restaurant outbreaks of foodborne pathogens should automatically trigger testing of employees, regardless of their illness history. In the Illinois Subway outbreak, state health officials have found food handlers at some restaurant locations who have tested positive for the outbreak strain of Salmonella.
 
The state is now requiring Subway food handlers linked to the outbreak to have two consecutive test results that are negative before returning to work. There are fears of a secondary outbreak because food handlers can inadvertently pass the bacteria to restaurant patrons, causing them to become sick.
 
Salmonella is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, older adults and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In some cases, the organism can get into the bloodstream and produce arterial infections such as endocarditis and reactive arthritis, or Reiter’s syndrome.
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Illinois Targets Subway Sandwich Makers in Salmonella Hvittingfoss Probe

Posted on June 19, 2010 by PritzkerLaw

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is taking steps to prevent a secondary outbreak of Salmonella Hvittingfoss tied to Subway restaurants in 28 Illinois counties.

The health agency is now requiring Subway workers in 46 restaurants associated with the outbreak to be tested and cleared before returning to work. IDPH said in a press release that several food handlers at certain Subway restaurants in Illinois have tested positive for Salmonella Hvittingfoss.

The fear is that they will contaminate others and the outbreak will continue to spread. The demand of the health department is that infected workers have two consecutive test results that are negative for Salmonella serotype Hvittingfoss before being allowed to return to work.

The Subway Salmonella outbreak has now sickened 90 people in 28 counties, including 25 people who have been hospitalized.

Illness onsets have been reported between May 5 and June 4. Victims range in age from 2 to 79.

Case patients have reported eating at Subway restaurants located in these counties -- Bureau, Cass, Champaign, Christian, Coles, Dekalb, DeWitt, Ford, Fulton, Henry, Knox, LaSalle, Livingston, Macon, Marshall, McLean, Moultrie, Ogle, Peoria, Rock Island, Sangamon, Schuyler, Shelby, Tazewell, Vermilion, Warren, Will and Winnebago.

Law firm Pritzker Olsen has been in direct contact with victims of this outbreak and is accepting cases at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free). You may also contact our firm using the contact form on the right side of this Web page. We will provide you with a free case consultation and answer your questions about Illinois Subway Salmonella litigation.

Our firm currently  represents an Illinois woman in a lawsuit against Subway over food poisoning she suffered after eating a veggie sandwich at the Subway restaurant in Lombard, Illinois. She couldn't eat for days and missed two weeks of work.

Our firm routinely represents consumers in Salmonella, E. coli, Shigella, and other foodborne illnesses cases against large multi-national food and restaurant companies. Over the years we have collected millions for our clients and we are involved in practically every major outbreak of foodborne illness.

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Up to 79 Illinois Subway Salmonella Cases

Posted on June 15, 2010 by PritzkerLaw

An outbreak of Salmonella Hvittingfoss in people who ate at Subway restaurants in 26 Illinois counties now has 79 confirmed cases.

Public health officials suspect that contaminated vegetables caused the Subway Salmonella outbreak, but the specific link has not been pinpointed. People sickened by this rare strain of Salmonella range in age from 2 to 79.

If you or a loved one is among those who suffered gastrointestinal illness in this outbreak, contact law firm Pritzker Olsen at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete the contact form on the far right side of this Web page. We are a national leader in foodborne illness litigation and we have collected millions for victims of food poisoning.

Our firm is in direct contact with other victims of the Illinois Subway Salmonella outbreak and we have filed an Illinois Subway lawsuit on behalf of a woman from DuPage County who became seriously ill after eating a veggie sandwich at the Subway on East Roosevelt Road in Lombard, Illinois.

Salmonella Hvittinfoos victims have reported eating at Subway restaurants located in 26 counties -- Bureau, Cass, Champaign, Christian, Coles, Dekalb, DeWitt, Fulton, Henry, Knox, LaSalle, Livingston, Macon, Marshall, McLean, Moultrie, Ogle, Peoria, Sangamon, Schuyler, Shelby, Tazewell, Vermilion, Warren, Will and Winnebago.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is involved in this investigation.

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Illinois Subway Salmonella Update

Posted on June 12, 2010 by PritzkerLaw

Knox County, Illinois, has a Subway restaurant in Abingdon that state health officials have associated with two illnesses in the Illinois Subway Salmonella outbreak.

The Illinois Department of Public Health has confirmed a total of 75 people have been sickened in 23 counties, many of whom have gone to the hospital.

Law firm Pritzker Olsen is currently in direct communication with victims of this outbreak and is conducting its own investigation to prepare for possible Subway Salmonella litigation in Illinois courts.

Our firm has a food poisoning lawsuit on file against Subway in Illinois state court on behalf of a woman from DuPage County who was recently sickened by a veggie sandwich she ate from the Subway on East Roosevelt Road in Lombard, Illinois.

We are accepting additional cases from the latest Subway outbreak in Illinois. To receive a free consultation with a lawyer at our firm, call 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete the contact form on the far right hand side of this Web page.

Pritzker Olsen is a leading national practitioner of foodborne illness litigation involved in practically every major outbreak of Salmonella, E. coli, Shigella, Campylobacter and other foodborne pathogens. Over the years we have collected millions for our clients, many of who were sickened by contaminated food at restaurant chains.

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Subway Salmonella Outbreak Update

Posted on June 10, 2010 by PritzkerLaw

Illinois health officials have confirmed 71 illnesses in the Subway Salmonella Outbreak involving Subway restaurants in 22 Illinois counties.

According to news reports, 26 people have been hospitalized and there have been no deaths.

The Illinois Department of Public Health encourages anyone experiencing gastrointestinal illness after eating at Subway restaurants in Illinois on or after May 10, to contact their health care provider or local health department.

For answers to legal questions about a possible Subway Salmonella lawsuit, call food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete the contact form on the side of this Web page.. Our firm is currently in direct contact with victims of the outbreak and we have been conducting our own investigaiton, as we do in many outbreaks.

We are presently litigating a food poisoning lawsuit against an Illinois Subway store on behalf of a woman from DuPage County who became quite sick after eating a veggie sandwich from the location on East Roosevelt Road in Lombard, Ill.

Our client couldn't eat for several days and missed two weeks of work. She had a stool-culture confirmed case of foodborne illness.

So far, outbreak victims  have reported eating at Subway restaurants located in Bureau, Cass, Champaign, Christian, Coles, Dewitt, Fulton, Knox, La Salle, Macon, Marshall, Moultrie, Ogle, Peoria, Sangamon, Schuyler, Shelby, Tazewell, Vermilion, Warren, Winnebago, and Wil counties.

Salmonella is the most common bacterial cause of foodborne outbreaks in the United States; approximately half of all Salmonella outbreaks occur in restaurant settings.

But that doesn't mean families should take Salmonella infection lightly.  The organism can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people and others with weakened immune systems.

Symptoms include fever, diarrhea, (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, Salmonellosis can result in the bacteria getting into the bloodstream and produce  arterial infections, endocarditis and reactive arthritis, or Reiter's Syndrome.

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Illnois Subway Salmonella Cases Rise

Posted on June 10, 2010 by PritzkerLaw

Daily updates in the Illinois Subway Salmonella outbreak are showing increases in the number of people sickened, from an expanding base of Subway locations.

On Wednesday the Salmonella Hvittingfoss outbreak stood at 68 confirmed illnesses in 24 counties, up from 48 illnesses in 18 counties. The number of Subway restaurants where victims ate has grown to 30 locations.

The updates are being provided by the Illinois Department of Health, which is investigating the cause of the outbreak with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Law firm Pritzker Olsen has filed an Illinois Subway lawsuit on behalf of a woman sickened by food poisoning after eating a veggie sandwich at the Subway on East Roosevelt Road in Lombard, Illinois. The patient could not eat food for several days and could not work for two weeks.

Our firm is preparing to file additional lawsuits and is accepting cases from individuals who ate at Illinois Subway restaurants and fell ill with Salmonella infection confirmed by a physician. Health care providers in the region are aware of the outbreak and will test for it. Results should be reported to public health agencies.

To connect with a Salmonella lawyer at Pritzker Olsen, contact the firm at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete the contact form on the side of this Web page. We are a leading national practitioner of foodborne illness litigation and have collected millions for victims of food poisoning over the years.

Anyone experiencing gastrointestinal illness after eating at Subway restaurants in Illinois on or after May 10, 2010, should contact their health care provider.

Health investigators are still trying to pinpoint what caused the outbreak, which has sickened Subway customers ranging in age from 2 to 88.

The illnesses have been reported from the following counties: Bureau, Cass, Champaign, Christian, Coles, DeWitt, Fulton, Knox, LaSalle, Lee, Livingston, Macon, Marshall, Moultrie, Ogle, Peoria, Sangamon, Schuyler, Shelby, Tazewell, Vermilion, Warren, Winnebago and Will.

Anyone experiencing gastrointestinal illness after eating at Subway restaurants in Illinois on or after May 10, 2010, could be part of this outbreak.

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More Victims in Illinois Salmonella Outbreak

Posted on June 7, 2010 by PritzkerLaw

The central and downstate Illinois Salmonella outbreak associated with Subway restaurants has grown from 34 to 48 cases.

Today's update on the Subway Salmonella outbreak came from the Illinois Department of Public Health. The agency said 17 outbreak victims have been hospitalized with infections of a rare Salmonella strain known as Hvittingfoss.

The outbreak involves people who reported eating at Subway locations in 18 Illinois counties. The grouping includes Bureau, Cass, Champaign, Christian, Coles, Fulton, LaSalle, Macon, Marshall, Moultrie, Ogle, Peoria, Sangamon, Schuyler, Shelby, Tazewell, Warren, and Will.

Illnesses are reported to have started between May 11 and May 25 and cases range in age from three to 88-years-old. So far, a specific food source has not been identified as the source, but epidemiologists found a strong correlation between illness and eating at Subways in certain Illinois counties..

Outbreak victims looking for legal help are urged to call a Salmonella lawyer at Pritzker Olsen by dialing 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or completing the contact form on the side of this Web page. We currently are accepting cases from this outbreak.

Pritzker Olsen is a national leader in foodborne Illness litigation and we have collected millions for victims of food poisoning. Earlier this year we filed a Subway foodpoisoning lawsuit on behalf of a woman who was treated for Salmonella infection after eating at the Subway in Lombard, Illinois. 

We are involved as an advocate for victims in nearly every major food poisoning outbreak.

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Downstate Counties Probe Salmonella Outbreak Tied to Subway Restaurants

Posted on June 5, 2010 by PritzkerLaw

Subway customers in downstate Illinois who recently became sick within seven days after eating at one of the restaurants are being asked to contact your county health department or Illinois State Department of Health if you or your doctor haven't already done so.

The investigators are seeking information to help pinpoint the cause of a Salmonella outbreak associated with Subway restaurants in 14 counties. The Subway outbreak has sickened at least 34 people, including 14 who have been hospitalized.

The Subway Salmonella outbreak in downstate Illinois involves a rare strain of the bacteria known as Hvittingfoss.

Dianna Heyer, the Macon County Health Department's nursing services coordinator, told a local newspaper that in Macon County there have been three laboratory-confirmed cases.

WIFR.com reported that Ogle County has at least two reported cases. Candy Johnstone told the station that she is one of those victims.

Jonstone told WIFR that she ate a veggie sub at a Rochelle Subway about three weeks ago. That's when illnesses were first starting to be reported.

"I was either sleeping or in the bathroom. It was just terrible pains, and by Sunday I realized it was worse than a flu or common cold or something so I went to the emergency room," Johnstone said.

Food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen is accepting cases from the Salmonella Subway outbreak in Illinois. Call a Salmonella lawyer at the firm at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete the contact form on the side of this Web page. We will respond with a free case consultation.

Already this year our firm has filed an Illinois lawsuit against Subway on behalf of a woman who suffered food poisoning after eating at the Subway on East Roosevelt Road in Lombard. That outbreak was separate from the current one.

In the Lombard Subway case,  our lawsuit states that the client could not eat food for several days and missed two weeks of work.

Consequences of Salmonella infection vary, but it is not something to  take lightly. In some cases, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing arterial infections and reactive arthritis, or Reiter's Syndrome, which can lead to heart problems.

This form of food poisoning is most threatening to young children, the elderly and other who have weakened or under-developed immune systems.

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Illinois Subway Salmonella Outbreak

Posted on June 4, 2010 by PritzkerLaw

Illinois health officials say a Salmonella outbreak associated with Subway restaurants in 14 Illinois counties has caused 34 illnesses, of which 14 have been hospitalized.

A state press release said the Subway Salmonella outbreak appears to have started in mid-May and victims range in age from six years to 88.

The specific type of Salmonella involved in this outbreak is a rare serotype called Hvittingfoss.

Pritzker Olsen law firm has filed a Subway food poisoning lawsuit  in Illinois on behalf of a resident of DuPage County who battled a severe Shigella infection after eating at the Subway in Lombard, Illinois, in February. The firm also represents other victims of the Subway Shigella outbreak.

We are now accepting cases from the current Salmonella outbreak associated with Subway locations in 14 counties, including Sangamon, Schuyler, Christian, Bureau, LaSalle, Cass, Champaign, Peoria, Shelby, Warren, Macon, Ogle, Fulton and Tazewell.

To contact a Salmonella lawyer at our firm, call 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete the contact form on the side of this Web page and we will quickly follow up.

At this point in the investigation, no cases have reported eating at Subway restaurants in either northeastern or southernmost portions of Illinois. 

Although there has been no lab-confirmed link to a specific ingredient at Subway, the Illinois press release said Subway has voluntarily withdrawn all lettuce, green peppers, red onion and tomatoes from a suspected date range and replaced the product with fresh produce.
 
The Illinois Department of Health is encouraging anyone experiencing gastrointestinal illness after eating at Subway restaurants in Illinois on or after May 10 to contact their health care provider or local health department. 
Symptoms of Salmonellosis include diarrhea, vomiting, fever and or stomach cramps. Illness usually develops within six to 72 hours after being exposed to Salmonella bacteria and generally lasts three to seven days.
 
The Illinois Department of Health is encouraging anyone experiencing gastrointestinal illness after eating at Subway restaurants in Illinois on or after May 10 to contact their health care provider or local health department. 
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Lombard Subway Shigella Outbreak Not Unlike 2007 Norovirus Outbreak

Posted on March 21, 2010 by PritzkerLaw

The number of illnesses associated with the Lombard Subway Shigella outbreak is approaching 100 two weeks after the restaurant at 1009 E. Roosevelt Road closed its doors at the urging of the DuPage County Health Department.

A spokesman for the health department told Nation's Restaurant News that 11 people have been hospitalized in the outbreak, which started in late February.

A Subway shigellosis lawsuit filed by national food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen alleges that the food poisoning outbreak was caused by improper hand washing and food handling. Investigation has determined that certain food workers at the restaurant tested positive for Shigella.

Pritzker Olsen has been contacted by more than 50 victims in the Illinois Subway Shigella outbreak and is preparing additional lawsuits. To contact a Shigella litigation attorney at the firm, call 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete the contact form on the side of this Web page.

Our law firm has direct and immediate experience representing victims in Subway food poisoning litigation. We currently represent 16 people who were sickened by Norovirus bacteria after the Subway restaurant in Roseville, Minnesota, catered sandwiches for a workplace luncheon on November 26, 2007. Eighteen of 25 co-workers fell sick after the lunch with diarrhea, vomiting, fever, stomach cramps and other symptoms and the number of illnesses grew to 21.

The Minnesota Department of Health conducted an investigation along with officials from Ramsey County Environmental Health. Stool samples confirmed there was Norovirus infection and investigators determined through interviews of nine Subway employees that two were sick with gastrointestinal illness during the time period investigated.

In both the Lombard Subway outbreak and the Roseville Subway outbreak, the most plausible source of contamination was ill foodworkers.  Contact Pritzker Olsen law firm for more information.

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Litigation in Lombard Subway Shigella Outbreak and More to Come

Posted on March 20, 2010 by PritzkerLaw

National food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen has filed a lawsuit against Neel Subway, Inc., owner of the Subway restaurant located at 1009 East Roosevelt Road in Lombard, Illinois, on behalf of a resident of DuPage County, Illinois, who battled a severe Shigella infection after eating at the Lombard Subway.

The law firm also represents several other people who contracted Shigella infections (shigellosis) after eating at the Lombard Subway, and is preparing to file additional lawsuits in the near future. The firm has been contacted by at least 50 people affected by the outbreak, which began in late February.

DuPage County Health Department officials have said more than 70 victims have been identified in the Lombard Subway Shigella outbreak..

According to the complaint filed March 18 in the Circuit Court of DuPage County, Patricia Larsen ate a veggie sandwich from the Lombard Subway on February 26. The next morning, she was overwhelmed by severe diarrhea, stomach cramps, chills, fever and other symptoms.
 
Her condition deteriorated over the next several days, prompting her to see a doctor on March 3. Results of a stool culture came back positive for Shigella sonnei.The lawsuit states that Ms. Larsen, who could not eat food for several days, missed nearly two weeks of work.
 
Certain food handlers at the restaurant tested positive for Shigella, according to the complaint. If a food handler infected with Shigella does not wash his or her hands adequately, contaminated human waste can get on food served to patrons, which will make them sick.
"Our client has suffered and will continue to suffer great pain due to an elementary collapse of food safety measures,'' said Fred Pritzker, founder and president of Pritzker Olsen. "It's sad that so many people were seriously sickened by a disgusting and preventable adulteration of food.''
The lawsuit alleges that Subway failed to adequately maintain or monitor the sanitary conditions of its food, drink, water, premises and employees. The restaurant also allegedly failed to ensure its workers were properly trained in safe food handling methods and to design or implement a sick-leave policy that would encourage or cause employees to not work while sick, according to the suit.
 
Pritzker Olsen is a nationally recognized food safety law firm that has represented victims in practically every major outbreak of food poisoning in the U.S.
 
It is currently litigating in Minnesota state court on behalf of 16 victims of another Subway outbreak linked to poor handwashing practices (it was Norovirus). Fred Pritzker is one of the only attorneys in the country to have taken a Shigella case to trial and won. The verdict was over $150,000.
 
Pritzker Olsen is continuing to accept cases from the Lombard Subway Shigella outbreak. To contact the firm, call 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete the contact form on the side of this Web page. 
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