Probe Widens in Freshway E. coli Outbreak
Many facets remain active in the investigation of the Freshway Foods lettuce E. coli outbreak in New York, Ohio and Michigan.
Initial reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention make it clear that this outbreak has fallen in a big way on college and K-12 students and that it has happened in a tight frame of time -- from April 10-26 (that range could expand if more cases come in).
CDC has visually described the outbreak linked to shredded romaine lettuce in an epidemic curve, or epi curve. The curve shows onset of illness dates for the 19 confirmed illnesses and 10 probable illnesses known as of May 5. Here's the curve:
Infected individuals range in age from 13 years old to 29 years old and the median age is 19 years. Sixty-nine percent of patients are male. Among the 29 patients with available information, 12 (41 percent) were hospitalized. Three patients have developed hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS), a life-threatening condition that is the world's leading cause of kidney failure in children.
Two of the probable cases and one of the confirmed cases come from public schools in Wappingers Falls, New York. Also in New York, the Saratoga Springs City School District warned parents this week that children in four schools may have been served contaminated romaine from Freshway.
Colleges involved in the outbreak are Ohio State University, the University of Michigan and Daemen College in Amherst, New York.
The CDC freely admits that E. coli O145 outbreaks have gone unreported because few clinical labs test for the pathogen, which is one of the six most common non-O157 E. coli types that produce poisonous Shiga toxin. That means more victims could be found in the 20 other states that Freshway distributed tainted romaine.
As epidemiologists search for those cases, the CDC, FDA and certain state health departments also are looking at Freshway and the farm level to determine where in the distribution chain the point of contamination likely occurred. A state official in Arizona and a company official at Freshway have said the lettuce originated at a farm in Yuma, Arizona, but the grower has not been named.
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Food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen is actively investigating the outbreak and monitoring the results of the public probe. If you believe you or a loved one became infected from contaminated romaine lettuce recalled by Freshway from 23 states, contact an E. coli lawyer at Pritzker Olsen at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free). We also will consult with you online if you complete the contact form on the side of this Web page.Pritzker Olsen is a national leader in foodborne illness litigation, representing victims of food poisoning in all corners of the U.S. We have clients in New York, Michigan and Ohio, including the family of Nellie Napier of Medina, Ohio. Nellie was one of nine people who died in the peanut butter Salmonella outbreak of early 2009 caused by negligence at Peanut Corp. of America
Details of the Freshway lettuce recall can be viewed here.
