CDC, States Still Investigating E coli Outbreak

Posted by Fred Pritzker in E. coli Recall

There has been a dropoff in the number of newly confirmed cases of E. coli O157:H7 in relation to the Fairbank Farms ground beef E. coli outbreak, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is properly concerned that people will continue to fall victim to this dangerous episode of contamination.

That’s because an unknown quantity of the more than half-million pounds of  beef products recalled by Fairbank Farms on October 31 is still lurking in freezers of consumers. Therefore, the investigation into this outbreak by the CDC and several state health departments is continuing and CDC has issued advice to consumers.

So far there has been a cluster of 26 people from eight states infected with the outbreak strains of  E. coli O157:H7. One of the victims is a 5-year-old boy from Auburn, Maine, who was hospitalized for three weeks with E. coli HUS after eating ground beef tainted with E. coli O157:H7. His illness has been affirmatively matched to the outbreak. This young victim is represented by our national food safety firm, Pritzker Olsen Attorneys.

In my opinion, the needless suffering of all the people sickened so far in this outbreak only serves to underscore the need for more stringent testing in the meat industry. We can only hope that all consumers who purchased the contaminated ground beef produced by Fairbank Farms and sold through various retailers recognize the danger before they, too, suffer the consequences of lax testing and oversight.

The outbreak is centered in the Northeast, including the states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire and New York. The CDC is urging consumers to check their refrigerators and freezers for beef products produced by this firm and purchased on or after September 15, 2009. The meat has establishment number EST 492 stamped in the USDA mark of inspection, with product date codes of 091409, 091509 and 091609.

According to the most recent CDC snapshot of the outbreak — taken on November 20 — the latest reported illness began November 6. Here is the CDC’s chart of when the illnesses began. But, remember, the time from the beginning of the patient’s illness to the confirmation that he or she was part of an outbreak is typically about 2-3 weeks. Case counts in the midst of an outbreak investigation must be interpreted within this context.

Tags: E. coli hus, ground beef ecoli