Personal Injury Law

Houston Chronicle Cancer Patient, Raul Rivera, Ate Salmonella St. Paul Tainted Tomatoes Prior to Death

By Bill Marler, Esq.

Texas Health officials today confirmed that a Houston cancer patient who died after being hospitalized with nausea, diarrhea and high fever had contracted Saint Paul salmonellosis, but stopped short of saying the debilitating illness caused his death. 

Salmonella Saint Paul — spread by eating some types of raw red tomatoes — has sickened 146 people in 16 states.  Confirmation that Raul Rivera, 67, also had contracted the disease brings the total of Harris County victims to 15.  Fifty-seven Texans have been sickened by the disease. 

The CDC estimates that 1.4 million cases occur annually (CDC, 2005, October 13).  Slightly more than 400 involved the Saintpaul strain.  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).

Rumor has it that Lou Dobbs might well be wrong to blame Mexico for the tainted-tomatoes.  The location of possible growers may well be home grown in Florida or Virginia.  We shall see.

Full post as published by Marler Blog on June 10, 2008 (boomark / email).