http://www.yourlawyer.com/topics/overview/campylobacter Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:15:05 -0800 pixel-app en http://www.yourlawyer.com/articles/read/12726 Thu, 22 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.yourlawyer.com/articles/read/12726
Utah's Department of Agriculture and Food has issued a notice of investigation Wednesday to Woolsey's Dairy in Payson, where the sick consumers said they purchased raw milk.

State investigators spent Wednesday at the dairy collecting milk samples that will be tested through the weekend, said Richard Clark, who oversees the division in charge of dairy regulation.

"It will help us be able to determine if the milk currently being produced is contaminated or not and it will help us locate and focus on whether it's in the animal or in the production," he said.

There have been 15 confirmed cases of the illness and seven of the cases were traced back to raw milk from Woolsey's Dairy.

Lars Woolsey, director of the dairy, said he had heard the health inspectors may be coming this week and had samples sent off to be tested on Monday. Woolsey said he expected the results next week.

"I don't know. I'm hoping that it's not my milk and I don't believe it is," Woolsey said. "We're selling over 400 bottles of milk a day and I think we'd have a lot more than four or five people sick if it was our milk."

All of the cases have tested positive for Campylobacter, a common bacterial infection that can cause diarrhea, cramping, abdominal pain and fever usually lasting about one week, health department spokesman Lance Madigan said.

Severe cases can result in a life-threatening infection. Most people fall ill within 1-to-10 days after exposure.

Doctors are required to report the disease, which was first brought to the health department's attention on Monday, he said.

Only one person has been hospitalized and several of the sick are from the same family.

Last year the county recorded 39 cases of the disease, but not all were linked to the consumption of raw food products, Madigan said.

"You can contract it in other ways. It's not necessarily a given that it came from raw milk. We're still investigating," Madigan said.

Epidemiologists are conducting DNA tests and looking at 16 markers to determine if all 15 cases are linked, he said.

Woolsey's Dairy produces about 100 gallons of raw milk daily and is believed to sell that within a 48 hour period, Clark said. Dairies are inspected four times annually. Clark did not know when the dairy had last been inspected or if there was a documented history of problems there.

Health department officials recommend consumers discard any recently purchased raw milk and see a doctors if they begin to suffer any symptoms of the illness.]]> http://www.yourlawyer.com/articles/read/12727 Sat, 03 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.yourlawyer.com/articles/read/12727
Raw milk potentially contains a wide variety of harmful bacteria including Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7, Listeria, Campylobacter and Brucella that may cause illness and possibly death.

Consuming raw milk may be harmful to health. From 1998 to May 2005 CDC identified 45 outbreaks of foodborne illness that implicated unpasteurized milk, or cheese made from unpasteurized milk. These outbreaks accounted for 1,007 illnesses, 104 hospitalizations, and two deaths. This is based on information in CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report for the week of March 2, 2007. The actual number of illnesses was almost certainly higher because not all cases of illness are recognized and reported.

Consumers who become ill after consuming raw milk, and pregnant women who believe they consumed contaminated raw milk or cheese made from raw milk, should see a doctor or other health care provider immediately.

Symptoms of illness caused by raw milk vary depending on which harmful bacteria are present. Symptoms may include but are not limited to: vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, headache and body ache.

Most healthy people will recover from illness caused by harmful bacteria in raw milk or in foods made with raw milk within a short period of time. But some individuals can develop symptoms that are chronic, severe, or even life-threatening. Illnesses caused by pathogens found in raw milk can be especially severe for pregnant women, the elderly, infants, young children and people with weakened immune systems.

Since 1987, in order to better protect consumers from such risks, FDA has required all milk packaged for human consumption be pasteurized before being delivered for introduction into interstate commerce. Pasteurization, a process that heats milk to a specific temperature for a set period of time, kills bacteria responsible for diseases such as listeriosis, salmonellosis, campylobacteriosis, typhoid fever, tuberculosis, diphtheria and brucellosis. FDA's pasteurization requirement also applies to other milk products, with the exception of a few aged cheeses.

Proponents of drinking raw milk often claim that raw milk is more nutritious than pasteurized milk and that raw milk is inherently antimicrobial, thus making pasteurization unnecessary. Research has shown that these claims are myths. There is no meaningful nutritional difference between pasteurized and raw milk, and raw milk does not contain compounds that will kill harmful bacteria.

In fact, raw milk, no matter how carefully produced, may be unsafe. The CDC, the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the National Conference on Interstate Milk Shipments, the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, the Association of Food and Drug Officials and other organizations have endorsed the pasteurization of milk and restriction of the sale of products containing raw milk. Because even pasteurized milk contains low levels of nonpathogenic bacteria that can cause food to spoil, it is important to keep pasteurized milk refrigerated.]]> http://www.yourlawyer.com/topics/overview/campylobacter Sat, 03 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.yourlawyer.com/topics/overview/campylobacter Have You Suffered Health Ailments From Campylobacter? Campylobacter is the most frequent cause of bacterial food borne illness in the United States. Approximately, 3,000 cases were reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2003, or 12.6 cases for each 100,000 persons in the population. Millions of more cases go undiagnosed and unreported each year. Poultry is the most common food implicated. Other foods include unpasteurized milk, undercooked meats, mushrooms, ground beef, cheese, pork, shellfish, and eggs. The majority of Campylobacter infection cases arise as isolated, sporadic events, not as part of large outbreaks.

Symptoms
The period between exposure to the bacteria and onset of the first symptom is generally two to five days, but onset may happen in as few as two days or as long as 10 days after ingestion of the bacteria. The illness typically lasts no more than one week but severe cases may continue for up to three weeks, and roughly 25% of individuals experience relapses of symptoms. Diarrhea is the most consistent and prominent sign of Campylobacter infection and is often bloody. Typical symptoms may also include fever, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, headache, and muscle pain.  A bulk of cases are for the most part mild, and often do not require hospitalization, and are self-limited. 

On the other hand, there is a possibility that Campylobacter can be severe and life threatening. The illness may cause appendicitis or infect additional organs as well as the blood stream. It is estimated that one in 1,000 cases of Campylobacter infections result in death. Death is more common when other diseases (for example, cancer, liver disease, and immune deficiency diseases) are present.

Diagnosis
Health care providers can look for bacterial causes of diarrhea by asking a laboratory to culture a stool sample from an ill person. Campylobacter is by and large a self-limited illness, and the affected person should drink plenty of fluids as long as the diarrhea lasts in order to maintain hydration. Antidiarrheal medications such as Loperamide may alleviate some symptoms. Specific treatment with antibiotics is sometimes indicated, particularly in severe cases, and may shorten the course of the illness. Macrolide antibiotics (Erythromycin, Clarithromycin, or Azithromycin) are the most effective agents. Fluoroquinolone antibiotics (ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, gatifloxacin, or moxifloxacin) can also be used, but resistance to this class of drugs has been rising, at least in part due to their use in poultry feed. Consultation with a health care provider is recommended prior to taking anti-diarrheal medications or antibiotics.

Complications
Long-term consequences and complications can sometimes result from a Campylobacter infection. Some people can develop a rare disease that affects the nerves of the body following infection. This disease is called Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). It begins several weeks after the diarrheal illness, and may last for weeks to months, often requiring intensive care. Full recovery is common but some affected individuals may be left with mild to severe neurological damage. Miller Fisher Syndrome (MFS) is a related neurological syndrome that can occur with a Campylobacter infection. In MFS, the nerves of the head are affected more than the nerves of the body. Another chronic ailment that can be associated with Campylobacter infection is a form of reactive arthritis called Reiter's syndrome (RS). RS typically affects large weight-bearing joints such as the knees and the lower back.

Prevention
The single most important step in preventing Campylobacter infection is to adequately cook all poultry products. Make sure that the thickest part of the bird (the center of the breast) reaches 180°F or higher. It is recommended that the temperature reach at least 165°F for stuffing and 170°F for ground poultry products, and that thighs and wings be cooked until juices run clear. Do not cook stuffing inside the bird.

Additional Prevention Steps

• Transport meat and poultry home from the market in the coolest part of the vehicle (generally the trunk in winter and cab in summer).
• Defrost meat and poultry in the refrigerator.
• Place the item on a low shelf, on a wide pan, lined with paper towel; ensure that drippings do not land on foods below. If there is not enough time to defrost in the refrigerator, use the microwave.
• Rapidly cool leftovers.
• Never leave food out at room temperature (either during preparation or after cooking) for more than 2 hours.
• Avoid raw milk products.
• Wash fruits and vegetables carefully, particularly if they are eaten raw. If possible, vegetables and fruits should be peeled.
• Wash hands thoroughly using soap and water, concentrate on fingertips and nail creases, and dry completely with a disposable paper towel after contact with pets, especially puppies, or farm animals; before and after preparing food, especially poultry; and after changing diapers or having contact with an individual with an intestinal infection.
  
• Children should wash their hands on arrival home from school or daycare.

Legal Rights
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with the bacterial food borne illness Campylobacter and you have suffered serious health ailments, please fill out the form at the right for a free case evaluation. Alternatively, call our toll free number: 1-800-LAW-INFO (1-800-529-4636).]]>