Personal Injury Law

Salmonella Death Linked to Alamosa Water

By Bill Marler, Esq.

There have been 411 reported cases of salmonella linked to the outbreak, with 112 of those cases confirmed through laboratory testing. Eighteen people had to be hospitalized.  It now appears that there may be a death related to the consumption of Salmonella-tainted water.  See story in the Pueblo Chieftain.

The CDC estimates that 1.4 million cases occur annually (CDC, 2005, October 13). Approximately 600 deaths are caused by Salmonella infections in the U.S. every year, accounting for 31 percent of all food-related deaths (CDC, 2005, October 13; MMWR Weekly, 2001). The reported incidence of Salmonella illnesses is about 14 cases per each 100,000 persons (MMWR Weekly, 2006), amounting to approximately 30,000 confirmed cases of salmonellosis yearly in the U.S. (CDC, 2005, October 13). In 2005, just over 36,000 cases were reported from public health laboratories across the nation, representing a 12 percent decrease compared with the previous decade, but a 1.5 percent increase over 2004 (CDC, 2007). As only about 3 percent of Salmonella cases are officially reported nationwide, and many milder cases are never diagnosed, the true incidence is undoubtedly much higher (Mead, 1999).

We have been retained by nearly 50 residents who became ill.  We are continuing our investigation as to the cause of the outbreak.

Full post as published by Marler Blog on April 18, 2008 (boomark / email).