Salmonella Papaya Litigation Will Extend Beyond Life of 8-Month Outbreak
The papaya Salmonella outbreak in Texas and 24 other states appears to be over -- linked to whole papayas imported from Mexico by Agromod Produce Inc. of McAllen, Texas. While new cases have nearly dried up, some families and individuals may still be looking for legal representation in litigation against the purveyors.
A public claims center for Salmonella papaya litigation remains open to all victims at national food safety law firm PritzkerOlsen, P.A., 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free). Free case consultations also are available by submitting contact information to the firm. Pritzker Olsen Attorneys is one of the very few legal groups in the country practicing extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation and we have collected millions for Salmonella victims throughout the United States.
The papaya Salmonella recall includes all Blondie, Yaya, Mañanita, and Tastylicious Brand papayas sold prior to July 23, 2011. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) , a total of 106 individuals were infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Agona beginning January 1, 2011. It tooks months of traceback work and laboratory testing to determine the connection to Mexican-grown papayas and Agromod Produce, but the CDC and other health agencies -- in conjunction with Mexican counterparts -- continue to search for the cause of the contamination.
Going forward, the FDA has issued an Import Alert under which papayas from each source in Mexico may be denied admission into the United States unless the importer shows they are not contaminated with Salmonella.
The number of ill persons identified in each state with the outbreak strain was as follows: Arkansas (1), Arizona (4), California (8), Colorado (1), Georgia (8), Illinois (18), Indiana (1), Kentucky (1), Louisiana (2), Massachusetts (1), Minnesota (3), Missouri (3), Nebraska (2), Nevada (1), New Jersey (1), New Mexico (3), New York (9), Ohio (1), Oklahoma (1), Pennsylvania (2), Tennessee (1), Texas (25), Virginia (2), Washington (5), and Wisconsin (2).
Ten patients were hospitalized. No deaths were reported.
