The News Tribune Opinion Page today:

With the recent uptick in salmonella cases in Cole County, keep in mind precautions are more productive than panic.

As of Tuesday, 25 cases had been reported in the county. While that’s an increase from the norm, it’s no epidemic. About 78,000 people live in the county.

Of 20 cases reported the previous Friday, 13 of those affected were found to have a common denominator: They all ate at a particular restaurant.

The county health department says that alone doesn’t confirm the restaurant is the culprit, but is continuing its investigation into the outbreak.

They have asked the Jefferson City’s Environmental Health Services Division to investigate safe food-handling procedures at that food establishment, as well as others named by the affected individuals. That division inspects local restaurants.

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.

If you or a family member became ill with a Salmonella infection, including Reactive Arthritis or Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), after consuming food and you’re interested in pursuing a legal claim, contact the Marler Clark Salmonella attorneys for a free case evaluation.