As of September 28, 2015, 671 people infected with the outbreak strains of Salmonella Poona have been reported from 34 states. The number of ill people reported from each state is as follows: Alabama (1), Alaska (13), Arizona (112), Arkansas (9), California (164), Colorado (17), Hawaii (1), Idaho (22), Illinois (8), Indiana (2), Iowa (5), Kansas (2), Kentucky (1), Louisiana (5), Minnesota (34), Missouri (10), Montana (14), Nebraska (5), Nevada (13), New Mexico (30), New York (5), North Dakota (3), Ohio (2), Oklahoma (12), Oregon (19), Pennsylvania (2), South Carolina (9), South Dakota (1), Texas (33), Utah (51), Virginia (1), Washington (21), Wisconsin (38), and Wyoming (6).
During the several days before August 16, 2015, I.B.’s grandmother purchased cucumbers on at least one occasion from a grocery store in Utah. One or more of these retail grocery locations in had received and sold contaminated cucumbers distributed by the defendant. I.B. consumed the contaminated cucumbers on August 16. Symptoms began on or about August 21, 2015, and included a headache, nausea, vomiting, and fatigue.
The next day, while the family was at a baseball game in Salt Lake City, I.B. developed a fever as well. Late that evening, I.B. began vomiting profusely and began to suffer repeated bouts of diarrhea as well. In the early morning hours of August 23, Rebecca Busico took her daughter to an urgent care clinic for medical attention. She was treated and released the same day.
I.B.’s symptoms continued over the next several days. On Tuesday, August 25, I.B.’s bouts of diarrhea became bloody. On Wednesday evening, I.B. saw her pediatrician, who sent her to the emergency department at Mountain West Medical Center. At the ER, a stool sample was secured for testing. I.B. underwent testing and was administered various medications before being transferred to Primary Children’s Hospital.
I.B. was admitted to Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City at approximately 2 AM on Thursday, August 27. I.B. was admitted to a private isolated room due to her likely infectious condition. She continued to suffer from fevers, severe headaches, bloody diarrhea, and other related symptoms. I.B. remained hospitalized until Friday, August 28. By this point, I.B.’s diarrhea had slowed significantly.
On Saturday, I.B. was seen by her pediatrician again, who advised her parents to keep track of her temperature, fluid intake, food intake, and urine output. The pediatrician also ordered urine testing, which ultimately showed that I.B. had also developed a urinary tract infection.
I.B. continued to suffer from fevers and other symptoms for several days. She also suffered significant discomfort associated with her urinary tract infection. I.B. missed the first week of school and, as a result, had to be placed in lower level courses to begin the year.
Mr. and Mrs. Busico learned that I.B. had tested positive for Salmonella the day after she left Children’s hospital. They were informed that the State health department was in possession of I.B.’s stool sample, doing further diagnostic testing on the sample. Later in September 2015, Mr. and Mrs. Busico learned that their daughter’s Salmonella infection was connected to the Defendant’s cucumbers.
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.