Florida E. coli Cases Need Further Investigation
According to a story in the St. Petersburg Times, Florida health officials may not be investigating cases of E. coli adequately:
When Kim Lapi's 9-year-old twins were hospitalized with E. coli in early November, state health officials, according to this story, told her there were no other cases in Florida. Her children weren't part of an outbreak, they assured her.Every case of a dangerous foodborne illness like E. coli poisoining and the even deadlier listeriosis (Listeria infection) should be investigated. By linking cases to a source, further illnesses can be prevented. If you or a family member is an E. coli victim, contact a lawyer at Pritzker | Ruohonen for a free consultation regarding stool sample tests and E. coli outbreak investigations. Please call toll-free at 1-888-377-8900 or fill out the firm’s online-consultation form.
Then Lapi met Tampa mom Bonnie Villella, whose 14-year-old daughter had near-fatal complications of E. coli in the hospital room next door. Then she found Christil Perez in Pasco County, whose 4-year-old son also had the dangerous infection in mid October. Finally, health officials told Lapi last week of a case that matched her twins: a 20-year-old man in Lake County, who went to an emergency room on Oct. 30.
State health officials were cited as saying Wednesday these are isolated cases and not an outbreak.
Source: Asjylyn Loder, String of area E. coli cases stirs concern, St. Petersburg Times, December 21, 2006.
