The CDC reports as of November 24, a total of 68 persons infected with the outbreak strains have been reported from 10 states. The number of ill people identified in each state is as follows: Connecticut (4), Maine (3), Massachusetts (31), Montana (1), New Hampshire (4), New York (5), Ohio (1), Pennsylvania (10), Rhode Island (6), and Vermont (3). The one ill person from Montana traveled to the Eastern United States during the period when likely exposure occurred.

Illness onset dates range from September 30, 2014 to November 10, 2014. Ill persons range in age from younger than one year to 83 years, with a median age of 31 years. Fifty-six percent of ill persons are female. Among 43 persons with available information, 11 (26%) have been hospitalized, and no deaths have been reported.

This outbreak can be visually described with a chart showing the number of persons who became ill each day. This chart is called an epidemic curve or epi curve. Illnesses that occurred after November 4, 2014 might not yet be reported due to the time it takes between when a person becomes ill and when the illness is reported. This takes an average of 2 to 4 weeks. Please see the Timeline for Reporting Cases of Salmonella Infection for more details.

Collaborative investigation efforts of state, local, and federal public health and regulatory agencies indicate that bean sprouts produced by Wonton Foods, Inc. are the likely source of this outbreak.  What the FDA has said thus far about a recall or not:  On November 21, 2014, Wonton Foods, Inc. said that it would stop the production and sale of mung bean sprouts and take other actions to prevent Salmonella contamination. The firm has reported that their last shipment of bean sprouts was on November 18, 2014.  FDA is continuing its investigation and will work with the firm on any required corrective actions. The company has been silent.

Salmonella:  Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm, is the nation’s leading law firm representing victims of Salmonella outbreaks. The Salmonella lawyers of Marler Clark have represented thousands of victims of Salmonella and other foodborne illness outbreaks and have recovered over $600 million for clients.  Marler Clark is the only law firm in the nation with a practice focused exclusively on foodborne illness litigation.  Our Salmonella lawyers have litigated Salmonella cases stemming from outbreaks traced to a variety of foods, such as cantaloupe, tomatoes, ground turkey, salami, sprouts, cereal, peanut butter, and food served in restaurants.  The law firm has brought Salmonella lawsuits against such companies as Cargill, ConAgra, Peanut Corporation of America, Sheetz, Taco Bell, Subway and Wal-Mart.  Here is a bit of history of Sprout Lawsuits:

In September and October of 2008, public health officials in Colorado identified at least 19 cases of E. coli infection among customers of Jimmy John’s restaurants.  An outbreak investigation ensued and alfalfa sprouts were determined to be the source of E. coli contamination in the restaurants.

Between February and March of 2009, 235 people in 14 states became ill with Salmonella Saintpaul infections, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  CDC and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have advised consumers to stay away from all raw sprouts, as the contamination appears to be in the seeds, which are sold nationwide.

An outbreak of Salmonella Newport that sickened 23 people in 10 states was linked to raw alfalfa sprouts in March of 2010.  The CDC reported illnesses in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Missouri, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, and Wisconsin.

In December of 2010, Alfalfa Sprouts served at Jimmy John’s restaurants were identified as the source of a multi-state outbreak of antibiotic-resistant Salmonella Serotype I 4,5,12,i-. At least 140 people in 26 states and the District of Columbia were diagnosed with Salmonella infections linked to the consumption of contaminated alfalfa sprouts served at Jimmy John’s.

On January 3, 2011 the Oregon Health Authority issued a News Release warning consumers of a Salmonella Newport risk and recall related to clover sprouts produced by Sprouters Northwest, Inc. of Kent, Washington. Health officials linked at least six people to the outbreak who consumed sprouts in December 2010; two in Oregon and four in Washington.

Clover sprouts served on Jimmy John’s sandwiches between December, 2011 and March, 2012 were the source of a multi-state E. coli O26 outbreak.  On February 15, 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced it was working with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and various local and state health departments to investigate an E. coli O26 outbreak linked to raw clover sprouts served on sandwiches sold at Jimmy John’s restaurants in five states. As of April 4, the CDC had confirmed that at least 29 people, including 6 who were hospitalized, had become ill with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O26 infections associated with the consumption of raw clover sprouts.

As of June 9, 2014, the CDC reported a total of 17 persons infected with the outbreak strain of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O121 (STEC O121) have been reported from five states.  The number of ill persons identified in each state was as follows:  Idaho (3), Michigan (1), Montana (2), Utah (1), and Washington (10).

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Bruce Clark is a partner in Marler Clark. In 1993, Bruce became involved in foodborne illness litigation as an attorney for Jack in the Box restaurants in its E. coli O157:H7 personal injury litigation. The Jack in the Box litigation spanned more than…

Bruce Clark is a partner in Marler Clark. In 1993, Bruce became involved in foodborne illness litigation as an attorney for Jack in the Box restaurants in its E. coli O157:H7 personal injury litigation. The Jack in the Box litigation spanned more than four years and involved more than 100 lawsuits in four states. Since that time, Bruce has been continuously involved in food and waterborne illness litigation involving bacterial, viral, and parasitic agents in settings ranging from large scale outbreaks to individual cases. He has extensive expertise in the medical, microbiological, and epidemiological aspects of foodborne illness cases gleaned from more than a decade of working with leading experts across the country. Bruce frequently speaks to public health groups as well as food industry groups about the realities of foodborne illness litigation and efforts that can help avoid the damage foodborne pathogens inflict.