Wisc. Green County E. coli Outbreak
Wisconsin public health officials are investigating a cluster of nine E. coli O157:H7 illnesses, including one that led to the death of a 1-year-old child from Green County, Wis. The 20-month-old girl died Sunday after a one-week hospital stay in Madison, the Captial Times newspaper reported.
Investigators, including E. coli lawyers for PritzkerOlsen, P.A., a leading national food safety law firm, are investigating the outbreak to determine its origin and protect others from becoming ill. Case patients are from all around the county and some households have multiple people who are ill. To hire a lawyer for a possible Green County E. coli lawsuit, call for a free case consultation at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or submit contact information online.
RoAnn Warden, director of the Green County Health Department, told the newspaper that two patients have been diagnosed with hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a serious complication stemming from toxic E. coli infection that causes kidney disease and can also lead to heart problems, stroke, severe anemia, central nervous system impairment and brain damage.
E. coli causes an estimated 73,000 cases of infection and 61 deaths in the United States each year. Most people infected with E. coli O157:H7 develop diarrhea (often bloody) and abdominal cramps 2-8 days (3-4 days, on average) after swallowing the organism, but some illnesses last longer and are more severe. Infection is usually diagnosed by stool sample culture. While most people recover within a week, some develop a severe infection and are left to deal with health concerns the rest of their lives.
