Listeria Outbreaks Investigated by CDC
Multi-state Listeria outbreaks in the United States have killed at least 44 people since 1998, including one Listeria death in the current cantaloupe Listeria outbreak in Colorado, Texas and Nebraska.
From 1998 through 2009, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported eight multi-state outbreaks of listeriosis, usually from the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes, according to the CDC's Foodborne Outbreak Online Database. A review of those records by national food safety law firm PritzkerOlsen, P.A., shows that the outbreaks caused 244 case-confirmed illnesses in that time. Another nine confirmed Listeria illnesses along the front range in Colorado can now be added to that total, along with at least three more cases from the same outbreak in Texas and Nebraska.
Cantaloupe has been identified as the likely cause of the current multi-state Listeria outbreak, but officials have not yet pinpointed where the contaminated fruit originated. Consequently, there is no recall to report. The federal records reviewed by the Listeria legal team at Pritzker Olsen Attorneys show the following foods were agents in past multi-state outbreaks of the disease: sliced turkey, Mexican-style soft cheese, sprouts, meat pate and hot dogs.
The hot dog outbreak in October 1998 was the biggest of the multi-state Listeria outbreaks. A total of 101 people were sickened and 21 died -- a testament to the lethal force of Listeria monocytogenes infections The CDC linked that outbreak to hot dogs, but never identified the specific origin.
That is the case currently in the cantaloupes outbreak in the Colorado counties of Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Denver, Douglas, El Paso, Jefferson, Larimer and Weld. Pritzker Olsen founder and president Fred Pritzker is investigating and has urged public health officials to make their findings transparent as quickly as possible for the benefit of consumers.
Many of the large Listeria outbreaks chronicled by the CDC are extremely familiar to Pritzker as a lawyer for victims on the front lines. In one of the outbreaks related to sliced turkey in which numerous people died, Pritzker represented families in successful Listeria lawsuits against the manufacturers. One settlement was for $6 million and Fred has represented other Listeria victims in other multi-million dollar cases.
It is important for victims and their families to understand their legal rights and remedies. A good Listeria lawyer will have the experience needed to know who is responsible for the harm done to you and how best to proceed with a lawsuit. For a free case consultation call 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or submit your contact information and a lawyer will call you.
