Posted on April 06, 2023 in Foodborne illness

First identified in 1977, Legionnaires' disease was a result of the pneumonia outbreak in a US convention center in 1976. Caused by bacteria called Legionella, Legionellosis is a severe form of pneumonia. Most patients of Legionnaires' disease become sick by inhaling the bacteria from soil or water bodies like showers, swimming pools, and hot tubs. Legionella bacteria can also cause Pontiac fever which has flu-like symptoms and can be easily treated. However, if left untreated, Legionnaires' disease can be life-threatening, especially for people with a weak immune system. According to studies, one in ten people with Legionellosis is expected to die.

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 Posted on April 03, 2023 in Foodborne illness

Belonging to the Enterobacteriaceae family, Escherichia Coli is a rod-shaped bacterium that thrives in all kinds of environments, with or without air. Commonly known as E. coli, the bacteria love to live in the intestine of warm-blooded animals and humans. According to a report by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), a total of 265,000 E. coli cases are reported in the United States annually, resulting in 30 fatalities and 3,600 hospitalizations. The majority of these cases (around 36%) are caused by the STEC O157 E. coli strain, whereas the non-O157 STEC strains cause 64%. Read on to learn more about the E. coli bacteria infection.

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 Posted on March 30, 2023 in Food borne illness

Foodborne illness, otherwise known as a food outbreak, occurs when two or more people fall sick from consuming the same contaminated beverage or food. Food outbreaks can cause severe illness, hospitalization, and death of hundreds of people if not dealt with immediately. From all-natural vegetables and fruits to processed food and drink, food outbreaks can occur in any food product made or handled with negligence.

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 Posted on March 27, 2023 in Food Allergies

Did you know that food allergies affect over 50 million Americans? In fact, food allergy affects approximately 8% of children and 6% of adults every year, and the numbers keep rising. Another study states that around 11% of adults in the United States have food allergies. While any kind of food can cause an allergic reaction, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), 90% of food allergy reactions are caused by these eight foods: eggs, fish, milk, peanuts, shellfish, wheat, soy, and tree nuts. In this article, we will teach you everything you need to know about the causes, symptoms, and treatment of common food allergies.

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 Posted on March 24, 2023 in Food borne illness

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 Posted on March 17, 2023 in Foodborne illness

In American society, there is too often a sense that if someone is suffering due to a foodborne illness, they are simply grappling with a turn of bad luck. In reality, food poisoning usually occurs because of negligent practices by individuals or companies. As a result, many cases of food poisoning are legally actionable. Inadequate hygiene, poor safety practices, and a host of other preventable challenges are what generally lead to food poisoning on farms, in manufacturing facilities, packaging centers, stores, restaurants, and events where food is served.

There are two challenges that generally make filing a food poisoning matter in civil court particularly tricky. First, a plaintiff must be able to prove that their food poisoning resulted in financial loss, such as medical bills from a hospital stay and lost income due to time off taken to recover. Second, it can be difficult to prove exactly how and why a food poisoning victim became ill.

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 Posted on March 10, 2023 in Foodborne illness

When you are not feeling well, it is rare that you know exactly what is going on. Unless you have been in direct contact with someone who is sick or your symptoms are unusually distinct, chances are that you wait until you are surer of what is happening to you before you take action, such as heading to your doctor’s office. After all, in the early stages of medical distress, you could potentially be suffering from anything from food poisoning to chicken pox and it often pays to know what you are dealing with before attempting to manage the situation in specific ways.

Frustratingly, it is not always easy to understand what is happening to your body, even if you wait until you are uncomfortably symptomatic before trying to treat your condition. For example, it is often difficult to discern whether you have food poisoning or the flu if you are experiencing gastrointestinal distress.  

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 Posted on February 24, 2023 in Foodborne illness

For pregnant women, the list of potentially dangerous things to avoid can seem endless. Obviously, activities like smoking and drinking are off-limits, but so are many other common activities - cleaning a cat litter box, certain types of exercise, flying on airplanes after a certain date, and eating fish that are high in mercury. However, the most common dangers that pregnant women face can come from a seemingly innocuous source: Food, especially food that is often seen as healthy like salads. Women who suffer from food poisoning during pregnancy can face serious consequences and, if they are injured, may be entitled to take legal action. 

Why is Foodborne Illness More Dangerous During Pregnancy? 

A crucial part of healthy fetal development is the suppression of the mother’s own immune system. This prevents the mother’s body from rejecting the fetus as a foreign object, but it also weakens the immune system’s ability to respond to threats, making serious illness from germs much more likely. Common types of food poisoning, such as E. coli, salmonella, and listeria, have the potential to develop serious complications in pregnant women, including, but not limited to: 

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 Posted on February 10, 2023 in Foodborne illness

On February 12, people all over the United States, including Illinois, will gather with friends and family to watch the Super Bowl. During this time-honored American tradition, food plays a major role, and people make and order a wide variety of food. Every year, the USDA issues a warning to be careful about food handling and food safety; and yet, every year, people get sick. 

Whether you get food poisoning from the food you buy at the store or food you order from a restaurant, it can pose serious risks to your health. Learn more about the unique dangers of food poisoning that long-lasting events can pose, and contact an Illinois food poisoning attorney for help with your case. 

Why Are Super Bowl Events a Common Source of Food Poisoning? 

One of the most enjoyable parts of watching the Super Bowl is that it is not just a game - it is an event, with a much-anticipated Halftime Show, entertaining commercials, and sports commentary before and after the game. Super Bowl events typically last at least four hours, but often go on for much longer. During the entire event, large amounts of food frequently sit out at room temperature and are not refrigerated, reheated, or covered. 

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 Posted on January 23, 2023 in Food borne illness

A Nebraska company is recalling alfalfa sprouts after 15 people experienced salmonella poisoning and two others were hospitalized. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates there are more than one million cases of salmonella poisoning in the United States every year with 83 percent attributed to food. At Newland & Newland, LLP, we believe that no one's health or well-being should be put at risk by negligent safety practices.

SunSprouts Distribution

SunSprouts Enterprises recalled some 1,406 pounds of raw alfalfa sprouts that were sold at restaurants and grocery stores in Nebraska, Iowa, and Kansas between November 2022 and late December 2022, with expiration dates through January 7, 2023.

The CDC is urging people not to eat the recalled alfalfa sprouts and to throw them away. They were sold in four-ounce clamshell packaging and larger packages of 2.5 pounds. If you come into contact with these sprouts, you should clean surfaces with soap and water.

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