Personal Injury Law

Illinois confirms peanut butter illnesses

Jason Meisner of the Chicago Tribune reports that Cook County and state health officials have confirmed that one person sickened by salmonella this week in the suburbs shared the same strain of the bacteria that has been cited in a nationwide outbreak traced to certain brands of peanut butter.

The salmonella outbreak, which federal health officials said has sickened 288 people in 39 states since August, was linked to tainted peanut butter produced by ConAgra at a plant in Sylvester, Ga. The most cases were reported in New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Tennessee and Missouri.

The Illinois patients have tested positive for a form of salmonella that matches the national outbreak pattern associated with the peanut butter recall, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. The residents range in age from 1 to 27 years old, and fell ill between Dec. 5 and Jan. 27.
Most people infected with salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection, according to the release. The particular strain in the peanut butter outbreak may cause urinary tract infections without diarrhea.

The illness usually lasts four to seven days, and most people recover without treatment. In some persons the diarrhea may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized.

If you have suffered illness as a result of tainted peanut butter, see your doctor and contact a qualified lawyer.

Full post as published by Chicago Injury Lawyer Blog on February 19, 2007 (boomark / email).