Although alerts, recalls, warnings and information about the oncoming widespread outbreak of Salmonella Poona were published by reputable government and non-government sources as early as August 2015, FDA Alerts were still being issued in late January of the next year, a sad moratorium on a deadly outbreak.
Remain Alert: the Outbreak is Not Over
That January 26th release, published by the FDA and CDC alike, updated the case count, reminding consumers that the outbreak was not a thing of the past, but was something still impacting the nation and a factor deserving of our daily attention:
On January 26, 2016 the CDC reported an updated case count. Since the last update on November 19, 2015, 50 more ill people have been reported from 16 states. Tennessee was added to the list of states with ill people, bringing the total number of states to 39.
The number of reported illnesses has declined substantially since the peak of illnesses in August and September; however, it has not returned to the number of reported illnesses that would be expected to be seen (about 1 every month). The investigation into the source of these illnesses is ongoing.
The outbreak had long ago been linked to “slicer” cucumbers (also referred to as “American” cucumbers) supplied by Andrew and Williamson Fresh Produce and grown in Baja, Mexico.
888 people have confirmed cases of the outbreak strain of Salmonella Poona, spread across 39 states. Detailed information is available 686 of those cases: 191 (28%) required hospitalization, and six deaths attributable to the infection have been reported: one in Arizona, three in California, one in Oklahoma, and one in Texas.
Ron Simon & Associates filed the first case on behalf of one of the victims fatally infected with the outbreak strain.
Tracing Back to the Beginning
Federal and state authorities identified clusters of people made ill in separate geographic areas and worked to trace the distribution of the food they ate back to a common supplier. The results of the traceback investigation indicate that Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce, of San Diego, California, was a common supplier of cucumbers that were eaten by the people in these illness clusters.
On September 3, 2015, FDA and the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) briefed the management of Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce on the status of the investigation to that point; subsequently, Andrew & Williamson issued a voluntary recall of all cucumbers sold under its Limited Edition® label during the period from August 1, 2015 through September 3, 2015. The recall has prompted additional voluntary recalls from firms that received Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce, but those proved to be insufficient.
As a result, on September 14, 2015, the FDA issued an updated Import Alert to include cucumbers from Rancho Don Juanito de R.L. de C.V. located in Baja, Mexico. This action was based on the identification of Salmonella in cucumbers through import sampling of the farm’s cucumbers.
What Can I Do?
If you consumed cucumbers – either at home or at a restaurant – and subsequently became ill, seek medical attention as soon as possible if you are still experiencing symptoms, which include:
- diarrhea;
- fever;
- abdominal cramps; and
- nausea.
These symptoms tend to occur 12-72 hours after exposure.
Complications
Some individuals experience severe complications from samonellosis. In some instances, diarrhea may be so severe that hospitalization may be required. In these patients, the Salmonella infection may spread from the intestines to the blood stream, and then to other body sites. This septic infection is likely to result in death is the person is not promptly and properly treated with antibiotics.
The attorneys at Ron Simon & Associates are familiar with severe cases of Salmonella resulting from consumption of cucumbers contaminated with Salmonella Poona, and filed the first suit related to death from consuming a contaminated cucumber in the US.
