Olsen retained in 4 Salmonella cases

Elliot Olsen, one of the country’s leading attorneys in the area of foodborne illness, has been retained in four Salmonella cases in the national outbreak from contaminated eggs.

Olsen, whose office is located in downtown Minneapolis, is representing three adults and one child, a 4-year-old girl. Three of the four received confirmed diagnoses of salmonellosis; the fourth suffered multiple symptoms of Salmonella poisoning.

The three adults have requested anonymity, and the 4-year-old girl’s mother has requested the same for her daughter. Details on the four Salmonella cases:

• The oldest of Olsen’s four Salmonella cases is a 73-year-old man from Louisburg, KS, who was informed by doctors on April 17 that he had stage 3 kidney failure, which is considered moderate. He was still experiencing soreness as of May 14.
• A 50-year-old man from Zebulon, NC, was not diagnosed with salmonellosis but experienced pain and discomfort for about two weeks in April. He was still suffering from stomach pain as of May 11.
• A 50-year-old woman from Bassett, VA, became ill in mid-April and said she was still feeling some pain as of mid-May. She also said she “can’t stand eggs” anymore.
• The 4-year-old girl lives in Fort Worth, TX. She became sick on April 11 after eating scrambled eggs a few days before, and had diarrhea for about 10 days. She was still feeling stomach pain in early May, and told her mother she “doesn’t trust foods.”

Salmonella cases:
35 official victims to date

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are currently 35 victims of this national Salmonella outbreak. The CDC is reporting victims in nine states, eight on the East Coast and Colorado.

CDC statistics also show that 11 of the 35 victims have been hospitalized. Illnesses began last Nov. 16, and the ages of those sickened range from 1 year old to 90, years old with a median age of 65.

Minneapolis’ Elliot Olsen, one of the country’s leading attorneys in the area of foodborne illness, has been retained in four Salmonella cases in the national outbreak of food poisoning from contaminated eggs.

Salmonella cases:
Huge egg recall

This national Salmonella outbreak prompted an April 13 recall of more than 200 million eggs by Rose Acre Farms, which is located in Seymour, IN. Rose Acre Farms officials said they initiated the recall after learning of 22 illnesses on the East Coast. The illnesses were traced to Rose Acre Farms’ Hyde County production facility in North Carolina.

The potentially Salmonella-tainted eggs were sold under numerous brand names, including: Coburn Farms, Country Daybreak, Food Lion, Glenview, Great Value, Nelms, Publix, Sunshine Farms, and Sunups. The eggs also were sold at Walmart and Food Lion stores.

The affected cartons bear the Julian date range of 011 through 102. Brand names and UPC codes can be found on the Food and Drug Administration release here.

Salmonella cases:
Salmonellosis info

Salmonella food poisoning affects as many as 1.2 million Americans on a yearly basis, according to statistics kept by the CDC. Eating food contaminated with Salmonella will produce salmonellosis, which can develop anywhere from 12 hours to three days after eating food contaminated with Salmonella bacteria.

Symptoms generally last up to a week. Those symptoms usually include:

• diarrhea
• abdominal pain
• vomiting
• fever
• chills.

Most people recover without needing to see a doctor. Sometimes, however, diarrhea becomes so severe that hospitalization is required. The CDC estimates that of the 1.2 million annual cases, 23,000 victims will require hospitalization, and about 450 of them will die.

People at the greatest risk for complications are young children, senior citizens, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems.

Pregnant women are at an even higher risk of contracting Salmonella because hormonal changes result in a compromised immune system. A pregnant woman who contracts Salmonella can go into premature labor, suffer a miscarriage, or experience stillbirth.