Over the last few weeks as 36 states and the CDC have continued to count the cucumber Salmonella illnesses and deaths, we have filed 12 lawsuits in California, Arizona, Utah, Minnesota, Kansas and Texas. Here are the links:
ALLEGRANZA Lori – CALIFORNIA – SAN DIEGO CITY SUPERIOR COURT
BARBER Elisabeth – AZ FEDERAL COURT
BUSICO Rebecca – UTAH FEDERAL COURT
DVERGSTEN Kathy – MN FEDERAL COURT
MILLS Meghann – UTAH FEDERAL COURT
PAINTER Janette – UTAH FEDERAL COURT
RIOS Monica – KANSAS FEDERAL DISTRICT COURT
STOWE Lois – TEXAS STATE DISTRICT COURT
WALKER and ARCHAMBEAULT – AZ FEDERAL COURT
Since the last update on October 6, 2015, 35 more ill people have been reported from 14 states. Illnesses that occurred after September 15, 2015 might not be reported yet. A series of events occurs between the time a person is infected and the time public health officials can determine that the person is part of an outbreak. This means that there will be a delay between when a person gets sick and confirmation that he or she is part of an outbreak. This takes an average of 2 to 4 weeks. Please see the Timeline for Reporting Cases of Salmonella Infection for more details. Also, cucumbers have a shelf life of up to 14 days. Some people may not have known about the recall and eaten the contaminated cucumbers after the recall.
As of October 13, 2015, 767 people infected with the outbreak strains of Salmonella Poona have been reported from 36 states. The number of ill people reported from each state is as follows: Alabama (1), Alaska (16), Arizona (118), Arkansas (11), California (205), Colorado (18), Florida (1), Hawaii (1), Idaho (24), Illinois (9), Indiana (4), Iowa (6), Kansas (2), Kentucky (1), Louisiana (5), Maryland (1), Minnesota (38), Missouri (12), Montana (15), Nebraska (7), Nevada (14), New Mexico (31), New York (6), North Dakota (6), Ohio (3), Oklahoma (12), Oregon (21), Pennsylvania (2), South Carolina (9), South Dakota (3), Texas (38), Utah (53), Virginia (1), Washington (24), Wisconsin (42), and Wyoming (7).
Among people for whom information is available, illnesses started on dates ranging from July 3, 2015 to September 29, 2015. Ill people range in age from less than 1 year to 99, with a median age of 17. Fifty percent of ill people are children younger than 18 years. Fifty-five percent of ill people are female. Among 561 people with available information, 157 (28%) report being hospitalized. Four deaths have been reported from Arizona (1), California (1), Oklahoma (1), and Texas (1).
Epidemiologic, laboratory, and traceback investigations have identified cucumbers imported from Mexico and distributed by Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce as a likely source of the infections in this outbreak.