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Girl Dies From E. coli O157:H7 in Cleveland
– Likely Linked to Other E.coli O157:H7 illnesses in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and
Illinois Linked to Hamburger Produced by Valley Meats Source of
Article: http://www.marlerblog.com/ The Cleveland Ohio Health
Department said moments ago that a 6 or 7-year-old girl died from E. coli O157:H7 last weekend and that
the death (likely due to Hemolytic Uremic
Syndrome) appears linked to E. coli O157:H7 illnesses in Ohio,
Pennsylvania, and Illinois that have led FSIS and CDC health investigators to
ground beef produced by Valley Meats, LLC of Coal Valley, Illinois. According to Misti Crane of THE
COLUMBUS DISPATCH: The
Ohio Department of Health contacted the U.S. Department of Agriculture with a
report of three genetically linked cases of E. coli O157:H7 in the Cleveland
area earlier this month. All three were sickened in mid-April, but do
not have any connection to one another, said ODH spokesman Kristopher
Weiss. They were classified as a cluster when the genetic fingerprints
of the bacteria that had infected each person matched, he said. The illnesses
were then linked to products containing meat from Valley Meats. The
people who were sickened were a 3-year-old girl, a 24-year-old man and a
71-year-old man. Two of the three were hospitalized and all have since
recovered, Weiss said. Leila
Atassi and Harlan Spector of the CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER are also covering the
story: Health
officials did not identify the girl or provide details of the circumstances
that led to her death. But Cleveland Health Director Matthew Carroll said the
case might be the latest in a cluster of E. coli infections traced to Valley
Meats LLC, of Coal Valley, Ill. The
company pulled nearly 100,000 pounds of hamburger patties after a U.S.
Department of Agriculture investigation confirmed that three Cleveland-area
residents were infected by eating the same tainted ground beef. Carroll said
two local restaurants, one of them in Cuyahoga County, might also be involved
and will be investigated. The
three who grew ill - a 3-year-old girl, a 24-year-old man and a 71-year-old
man - have recovered, said Kristopher Weiss, spokesman for the Ohio
Department of Health. Health officials determined the cases originated from a
common source when they found matches among the genetic fingerprints of the
bacteria that infected each person, Weiss said. The state reported its
findings to the USDA on May 13. The brands included in the recall are 3-S,
Grillmaster, J and B, Klub, Thick 'n Savory, Ultimate, and more than a dozen
generic brands. A few weeks ago I wrote "E.
coli O157:H7 Season is Nearly Upon Us - Will it be 2005 and 2006 or 2007 and
2008?" From 1993
- 2003 we represented over 1,000 people sickened and families who
suffered losses due to E. coli O157:H7-tainted hamburger. From 2003 -
spring of 2007, the number of ill and the number of recalls dropped
significantly. In fact, in 2006, less that 200,000 pounds of E.
coli-tainted hamburger was recalled. However, since the Spring of 2007
nearly 42,000,000 pounds of hamburger has been recalled. Clearly, there
is a problem. Earlier this year I wrote "Open
Letter to a New Under Secretary for Food Safety - FSIS - The End of E. coli
Conservatism," in part to start a discussion about why we are again
seeing E. coli illnesses and deaths and in part to encourage the new
administration to act. The new administration is taking new steps, but
much more needs to be done. |
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