Personal Injury Law

Illnesses up to 189 in 40 States in Salmonella Montevideo Outbreak - First Lawsuit Filed

By Bill Marler

The CDC reports a total of 189 individuals infected with a matching strain of Salmonella Montevideo have been reported from 40 states since July 1, 2009. The number of ill persons identified in each state with this strain is as follows: AL (2), AZ (5), CA (30), CO (3), CT (4), DE (2), FL (2), GA (3), IA (1), ID (2), IL (11), IN (3), KS (3), LA (1), MA (12), MD (1), ME (1), MI (1), MN (4), MO (1), NC (9), ND (1), NE (1), NH (1), NJ (7), NY (15), OH (9), OK (1), OR (8), PA (3), RI (2), SC (1), SD (3), TN (4), TX (7), UT (7), VA (1), WA (14), WV (1), and WY (2).  Among the persons with reported dates available, illnesses began between July 4, 2009 and January 7, 2010. Infected individuals range in age from < 1 year old to 88 years old and the median age is 36 years. Fifty-three percent of patients are male. Among the 134 patients with available information, 37 (28%) were hospitalized.

We filed the first Salmonella lawsuit today against Daniele International, Inc, a Rhode Island company that recalled 1,240,000 pounds of sausage products due to potential Salmonella contamination.

In late December, the Keppler family purchased Daniele, Inc's now recalled pepper-coated salami (salame) product at a Costco in Lake Zurich, Illinois. Mrs. Keppler consumed the product and soon began to experience gastrointestinal illness. Although she did not require medical treatment, her 3-month-old son soon fell ill. His symptoms included fever and diarrhea, and even after a visit to his pediatrician, his symptoms continued to worsen. His diarrhea became incessant, and ultimately turned bloody. His temperature soared to 104 degrees. His parents rushed him to the ER, where he was re-hydrated and blood and stool samples were given for testing. The stool test would later reveal that he had been infected with Salmonella. After discharge from the hospital, the Keppler's son continued to be very ill for an extended period of time, requiring several more visits to his pediatrician. He continues to recover from the illness.

Full post as published by Marler Blog on January 26, 2010 (boomark / email).