Alpharetta Personal Injury Attorney Blog

16 Cases of Salmonella Food Poisoning Reported Across 5 States

The FDA issued 2 separate press releases on January 25, 2013 announcing over one thousand pounds of recalled ground beef which is believed to have been the source of at least 16 cases of food poisoning from Salmonella contamination. The Salmonella outbreak has caused sickness spread over 5 states.

The likely source of the Salmonella contamination was traced to 2 different retail stores in Michigan; Jouni Meats in Sterling Heights and Gab Halal Foods in Troy, Michigan. Of the 16 cases, 7 of the people sickened reported that they had eaten kibbeth at a Michigan restaurant but the other 9 people were from Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Iowa and had no association with that restaurant. The FDA Food Safety Inspection Service did DNA testing on the infected people and confirmed that all of them were infected with the same strain of Salmonella.

The people who became ill reported the onset of their illnesses from December 9 through January 7. It is important to note that symptoms of Salmonella infection can take as long as 2 to 3 weeks for people to report from when the first symptoms appear. The most common symptoms of Salmonellosis are diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever and can last from 5 to 7 days. Most healthy individuals can withstand a case of food poisoning, albeit they are sick and very uncomfortable. But infants, the elderly, and people with compromised immune systems (those with HIV, organ transplants, chemotherapy patients, etc.) are more likely to become seriously ill and are at risk of dying.

Two of the Salmonella Food Poisoning Victims Have Retained a Personal Injury Attorney

So far no one who was infected from the Salmonella tainted ground beef has died. Two of the food poisoning victims, Mary Ann Thomas of Sterling Heights, Michigan and her sister required hospitalization after they had eaten kibbeh which they thought had been made with raw lamb. According to coverage in the New York Daily News, after becoming ill they discovered that the kibbeh had been made with the uncooked Salmonella tainted ground beef. They have sought the services of a personal injury attorney and are seeking damages.

Continue reading "Salmonella Scare Prompts FDA Recall of Over One Thousand Pounds of Ground Beef" »

Problems with product design, defective material & workmanship, and contamination have caused problems with many different kinds of consumer goods over the years. Sometimes these bad products have caused serious injury and even resulted in death to consumers. After such incidents are reported, manufacturers and distributors along with the appropriate government agency usually issues a warning and puts out a product recall.

For example the U.S. Department of Agriculture issues recalls on meat, poultry and egg products. The Food & Drug Administration issues recalls on other food products as well as pet food and animal feed. The National Highway Traffic & Safety Administration is responsible for the safety of vehicles and associated products that travel our nation's roadways.

17.8 Million vehicles, Child Seats and Other Auto Equipment Recalled in 2012 By the NHTSA

A recently released report by the Consumerist.com on January 17, 2013 discussed the large number of recalls in the auto industry in 2012. According to the story the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic & Safety Administration reported that automakers issued 650 recalls that affected more than 17.8 million vehicles, child seats and other automobile equipment because of safety issues.

The NHTSA is able to work along with manufacturers for unsafe auto product recalls, in part due to the help of the public which reports consumer complaints, in helping identify unsafe vehicles and other vehicle-related products and equipment. Over 41,912 consumer complaints were received by NHTSA in 2012. The NHTSA administrator, David Strickland, noted that consumer complaints were the main driver in altering the government agency of product safety issues and in initiating government investigations and recalls.

Continue reading "Automakers Issued 650 Product Safety Recalls in 2012" »

The Washington Post reported on a story on January 13, 2013 about a Buffalo VA hospital that was sharing insulin pens between patients which has put as many as 700 patients at risk for HIV infection. The hospital was using the same multi-dose insulin pens on more than one person. According to the hospital, although the multi-use pens were used on more than one patient, the needle was changed between patient injections.

Changing Needle Not Sufficient as Back-flow into Insulin is Possible

On the surface one might think, well that's good they changed the needle. However, according to a government health site multi-use insulin pens should only be used on a single individual and never shared even though the needle is changed between shots. This is because it is possible for the insulin in the pen to become contaminated from backflow of bodily fluids into the insulin. So when a multi-use insulin pen is shared between individuals there is a possibility of spreading bloodborne infections between those individuals.

In 2009 the FDA was receiving reports of the improper use of multi-use insulin pens in hospitals and issued a warning to healthcare professionals to not share multi-use insulin pens. Information about the danger of sharing insulin pens and how you can help protect yourself can be found online by various medical safety organizations. Yet, despite this warning it appears that some professionals have continued to use these insulin pens on multiple individuals and this practice puts people at risk for the spread of blood borne and bacterial infections.

The 700 patients who received insulin shots by this improper method by the Veterans Affairs Western New York Healhtcare System between 2010 and 2012 may have been exposed to different infectious diseases including HIV, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C. The problem was discovered, according to the Buffalo News when a routine pharmacy inspection discovered that that medicine carts contained unlabeled multi-use insulin pens, raising the suspicion that they were being used on more than a single individual.

A personal injury attorney may not be able to help reduce the worry & stress you might undergoing due to medical negligence as in the case of these veterans, but they can help you map out a legal action plan to help you deal with medical bills and pain & suffering if you have suffered from medical negligence or medical error.

Continue reading " Improper Use of Insulin Pens at VA Hospital Puts 700 at Risk for Bloodborne & Bacterial Infection" »

Diethylstilbestrol (DES) was prescribed from the 1940s up to early 1970 for conditions such as prostate and breast cancer. It was also prescribed for pregnant women because physicians at the time believed that it could help prevent premature deliveries and miscarriages. It was discovered in early 1970 that it was the cause of a rare vaginal tumor in girls and women whose mothers had taken the drug years earlier. Sadly it is now known that DES did nothing to prevent premature delivery or miscarriage.

The Federal Drug Administration instructed doctors to stop prescribing it to pregnant women in 1971 but use of the drug was not banned. In some cases doctors still prescribed it for other conditions and sometimes for pregnancy complications and it continued to be used for many years until September 2000 when the FDA withdrew its use on humans. The use of DES in veterinary medicine is still used successfully today to treat incontinence in dogs.

Even though it was withdrawn from use for pregnant women decades ago, it appears this drug has had long ranging affects even down to the third generation of the children whose mothers had taken the drug during pregnancy.

CDC Estimates 5 to 10 Million Exposed to DES Between 1938 and 1971

The Center for Disease Control in Atlanta believes that 5 to 10 million people were exposed to DES between 1938 and 1971. When the drug was developed it was not patented and many different companies produced it including Eli Lily. It was not long before product liability lawsuits began to be filed against the manufacturers of DES beginning in the 1970s. Because this drug has apparently caused serious injury to the health of the children & grandchildren, both women and men, of the mothers who had originally taken the drug, lawsuits are even today underway across this nation against the manufacturers of DES.

Just this month 4 sisters who all suffered from breast cancer as a result of their mother's use of DES won a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Boston against Eli Lily for an undisclosed amount. The Washington Post story on the lawsuit indicated that there are 51other women from around the country who have filed DES liability lawsuits in Boston aimed at more than a dozen other DES manufacturers. They believe that the Eli Lily settlement may be instrumental in bringing about settlements in these other cases.

Continue reading "Decades of Product Liability Injuries Follows Use of the Prescription Drug DES From the 1940s" »