Maine Salmonella Death at Nursing Home
A Salmonella death in Camden, Maine, is the tragic outcome of a Salmonella outbreak that sickened at least seven residents of the Quarry Hill nursing home. The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention told the Bangor Daily News that the man died February 2 at Penobscot Bay Medical Center.
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Staff at the Camden facility first became aware of the Salmonella outbreak on January 24, when several residents became ill with symptoms that included diarrhea, cramps, headache, fever and vomiting, the Daily News reported. Another resident was hospitalized but is expected to return to Quarry Hill this week. The care facility has 150 residents. Quarry Hill spokesman Christopher Burke told the newspaper that the affected residents lived in the assisted living and memory impairment assisted living wings of the facility. The person who died lived in the assisted living wing and initially declined treatment for his illness, Burke told the Daily News.
Dr. Stephen Sears, acting director of the Maine CDC, said the cause of the Quarry Hill Salmonella outbreak has not been determined. Two epidemiologists from the state went to Quarry Hill to investigate and work with staff to increase their education about salmonellosis. The outbreak type is Salmonella javiana. Sears told the paper that the outbreak appears to be slowing down, with no new cases reported in days.
Most people who have been infected by Salmonella bacteria develop symptoms between 12 and 72 hours, and the illness usually lasts 4-7 days. Every year, more than 100,000 cases of salmonellosis are reported in the United States, with approximately 400 people dying of the infection. Young children, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems are most likely to have severe infections. More people die of Salmonella poisoning in the U.S. than from any other type of foodborne illness.
Salmonella lawyer Fred Pritzker, who has been representing victims of foodborne illness outbreaks for years, is calling on Quarry Hill to immediately pay all medical expenses of the victims while the investigation continues and before legal claims for compensation are formalized. Pritzker's law firm handled several nursing home Salmonella death cases in the widely followed peanut butter Salmonella outbreak that killed nine people and sickened more than 700. Mr. Pritzker's firm was one of just a few at the center of negotiations to distribute $12 million in insurance funds to victims of the outbreak. Salmonella lawsuits from that outbreak are still pending.
If your loved one has been killed or sickened in the Camden Quarry Hill Salmonella outbreak, contact Fred at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete our onlline contact form. Earlier this month, Mr. Pritzker was in Boston for a major speaking engagement on foodborne illness at Northeastern University. His law firm is actively involved in varied efforts to prevent Salmonella, E. coli and other foodborne illness outbreaks.
