At least six children who attend Erma B. Reese Elementary School in Lodi, California have contracted E. coli poisoning. Staff at the school, located in San Joaquin County, noticed that four students were out sick, with one of them requiring hospitalization. Then, when a few others also became symptomatic with gastrointestinal illness, school officials notified the in San Joaquin County Health Department which immediately began an investigation. According to at least one local report, as yet unconfirmed, Reese Elementary School is not being cited by the San Joaquin County Health Department as the source, and an inspection of the cafeteria and kitchen facilitates is reported to have uncovered no significant deficiencies.
Reese Elementary School Principal, Gary Odell, told reporters that he waited until he was given the order from the San Joaquin County Health Department before notifying parents of the rest of the children about the outbreak.
E. coli Lawyer Ron Simon, who has represented thousands of food poisoning victims, noted “it is highly unusual for an outbreak of E. coli to affect so many kids from one school if that school is not the source of the E. coli outbreak. It may be that there are other victims who have not been identified publically with no connection to the school, or it may be that many of the children at the school participated in the same extracurricular activities or had another common experience, such as attending a state fair or a petting zoo.” Simon noted a number of E. coli cases involving zoos, state fairs, and other child-friendly places where kids have become ill in recent years. “At present, we need to wait for the San Joaquin County Health Department, along with the California Department of Health and Human Services to finish their investigation,” Simon explained, noting “these six children may be the only victims, but I suspect there are likely to be additional victims identified before the investigation is over.”
For more information regarding the Reese Elementary School E. coli outbreak in San Joaquin County, Lodi, California, or to discuss E. coli food poisoning, contact one of the lawyers at Ron Simon & Associates at 1-888-335-4901 or 713-306-3880.
