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Starr Shuppert of the Rushville Republican reports that there have been two recent reports in the county of efforts to sell meat that that has been recalled due to testing positive for E. coli bacteria.
On almost any given day a local resident might get a knock on their door and find an individual saying
Keeping a close eye on animal health
Animals are always a main part of a fair — both for sale and show — and their health and safety is a big concern. Last year, 72 pigs were quarantined and quickly shipped away for slaughter after one was discovered on the fairgrounds with symptoms of a bacterial disease — a development fair officials hope to avoid this year. (See also: fair safety information)
Dr. John Been, the Sauk County Fair’s head veterinarian, will be at the fairgrounds beginning Wednesday to check all the animals coming in. They are all required to have prior inspections from a veterinarian, but Been said the more precautions, the better. Been says the animals’ health status should be high. Depending on the species, there may or may not be health papers and a certificate of a veterinarian inspection that needs to be in place, and those are done by home farm vets.Continue Reading Keeping a close eye on animal health
Patrick’s Song Foundation will remember young ‘superhero’
Courier Staff Writer Amy Ehrnreiter reports that Barney Phillips of Bedford, Kentucky, plans to set up the foundation in memory of his son, Patrick, who died at age 5 on June 13 of shigella.
Patrick loved Spiderman and wanted to be a superhero. A foundation established in his memory may help carry on Patrick’s
You can’t judge a burger by its color
Use a food thermometer to make sure food is safe.
Most people think they can check the doneness of burgers, pork chops and chicken breasts just by “eyeballing it.” They look at it and judge the doneness by its appearance. They trust their experience. Experience is good, but it might be misleading.
According to a recent USDA study, one out of every four hamburgers turns brown in the middle before it has reached a safe internal temperature.
Eating undercooked meats or poultry increases the risk of food-borne illness. Many pathogens live naturally in the intestinal tracts of food animals.Continue Reading You can’t judge a burger by its color
Summer food safety tips
Craig Hedberg, Ph.D. of the Pilot-Independent, in his column Health Talk & You, reminds us that it’s that time of year when we fire up the grill, dish out the potato salad, and cut up the fruit salad for festive summer picnics and barbeques. But nothing can spoil a rollicking warm-weather gathering like a food-borne illness.
While it’s a pleasure to eat outside, the risks for contracting food-borne illnesses are higher when you prepare and serve a meal out of doors.
There are several ways to make sure you don’t unwittingly infect yourself and your guests with dangerous illnesses like salmonella, E. coli and campylobacter. The first step is to wash your hands with soap and running water before preparing, serving or eating any food.Continue Reading Summer food safety tips
Legal Cases
Since 1993, Marler Clark has represented thousands of clients in litigation against restaurants and food companies whose food was identified as the source of illness. We strive to obtain full and fair compensation for our clients’ injuries by ensuring that our clients are compensated for their physical and emotional injuries, as well as for medical expenses and missed time from work. We often represent children who will require medical monitoring and surgical procedures throughout their lives, and we work to secure settlements or verdicts that will provide for their long-term medical needs.
Food poisoning lawyers at Marler Clark are currently involved in investigations, or have represented clients, in the following food poisoning outbreaks:Continue Reading Legal Cases
Foodborne Illness
The CDC estimates that 76 million foodborne illness, or food poisoning, cases occur in the United States every year, which means that one in four Americans contracts a foodborne illness annually after eating foods contaminated with such pathogens as E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella, Hepatitis A, Campylobacter, Shigella, Norovirus, and Listeria. Approximately 325,000 people are hospitalized with a diagnosis of food poisoning, and 5,000 die. The estimated costs in terms of medical expenses and lost wages or productivity are between $6.5 and $34.9 billion (Buzby and Roberts, 1997; Mead, et al., 1999).
While most foodborne illness cases go unreported to health departments, nearly 13.8 million food poisoning cases are caused by known agents — 30% by bacteria, 67% by viruses, and 3% parasites (Mead, et al., 1999).
A recent report (2005) released by the CDC in collaboration with the FDA and USDA showed important declines in foodborne infections due to common bacterial pathogens in 2004. From 1996-2004, the incidence of E. coli O157:H7 infections decreased 42 percent. Campylobacter infections decreased 31 percent, Cryptosporidium dropped 40 percent, and Yersinia decreased 45 percent. Salmonella infections dropped 8 percent, but only one of the five most common strains declined significantly. The incidence of Shigella, which is found in a wide variety of foods, did not change significantly from 1996 through 2004. Vibrio infections increased 47 percent.Continue Reading Foodborne Illness