Thirteen counties in Illinois, including Cook, DuPage, Kane and McHenry counties, are at the center of a wide-spread outbreak of salmonella. According to health department officials, samples of the Mexican style cheese taken from at least one of the victim’s homes have tested positive for salmonella. The investigation is still ongoing, but the Illinois Department of Health is asking victims to contact their county health officials if they become ill to enable health officials to better track and prevent the further spread of salmonella in this outbreak.
Ron Simon, one of the nation’s leading salmonella lawyers, also encourages potential victims to contact their county health department. “Health officials can only do their job in tracking and preventing further injury when people who become sick step forward and are counted,” Simon stated. “Medical professionals, as per state law, are already required to report all positive salmonella cases to the county health agencies, but often the victims of salmonella either go untreated by medical professionals or are not tested for salmonella, which requires a stool test be performed,” Simon adds, noting that proper diagnosis enables accurate determination of where the food chain became contaminated and allows both regulators and food producers and handlers to make the necessary corrections necessary to prevent future outbreaks.
