The Tennessee Department of Health is leading a national outbreak investigation of E. coli O157:H7 that appears to be associated with consumption of Totino's and Jeno's brand frozen pizzas containing pepperoni topping.

A total of 21 laboratory-confirmed cases of E. coli O157:H7 have been identified and are potentially linked with this outbreak, with illness onsets ranging from mid-July through early October.

Of the eight cases reported in Tennessee, five people were hospitalized. However, all eight patients have now recovered.

Cases of illness have been reported in a total of 10 states.

"The Department of Health continues to conducts groundbreaking work that is recognized nationally," said Health Commissioner Susan R. Cooper, MSN, RN. "From emergency preparedness to disease outbreaks, the employees of the State Health Department work diligently and prepare tirelessly to be able to respond quickly to any public health emergency that threatens the wellbeing of Tennessee's residents."

As a result of the possible contamination, General Mills, the parent company of Totino's and Jeno's brand products, has issued a voluntary recall of 414,000 cases of pizza products. The company is working closely with federal officials and state health departments to identify any potential problem. Totino's and Jeno's pizzas are sold in the freezer section at grocery stores and other outlets throughout Tennessee and nationwide. The Department advises consumers not to eat any Totino's or Jeno's brand frozen pizzas containing pepperoni topping.

"An ongoing investigation by Tennessee and other state and federal public health officials has shown a strong association between several cases of recent illness and consumption of Totino's and Jeno's pizzas that contain pepperoni," said Tennessee Deputy State Epidemiologist Tim F. Jones, M.D. "The Department is working closely with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to identify additional information about the extent of the outbreak."

Consumers with questions about the recall should contact the company at 1-800-949-9055. Representatives also can provide information about receiving a full refund for Totino's or Jeno's pizza products. More information can also be obtained on the General Mills Web site at http://www.generalmills.com/corporate/media_center/index.aspx.

"Consumers who have any of these Totino's pizzas in their freezers should not eat them," said Jones. "Anyone who has eaten the product but did not become ill need not take any special action. People who have severe diarrhea should seek medical care, and let their doctors know if they have consumed frozen pizza within the week before they became sick."

Escherichia coli O157:H7 is a common cause of foodborne illness. An estimated 73,000 cases of infection and 61 deaths occur in the United States each year. People generally become ill from E. coli O157:H7 two to eight days after being exposed to the bacteria, with an average onset of illness of three to four days after exposure. E. coli O157:H7 infection often causes severe bloody diarrhea and abdominal cramps. Most people recover completely within five to 10 days, but some people, particularly young children and the elderly, are at increased risk for serious illness. Antibiotic therapy is not necessary for most patients, and may increase the risk of complications.

Cattle are the principal source of E. coli O157 infection; they carry E. coli O157 in their intestines. Though most illness caused by E. coli O157 has been associated with eating undercooked, contaminated ground beef, people have also become ill from eating contaminated bean sprouts, fresh leafy vegetables such as lettuce and spinach, and other foods. E. coli in food can be killed by thorough cooking, but the bacteria can survive undercooking or uneven cooking, as may happen in some microwave ovens. Consumers are reminded to thoroughly cook all products that are not ready-to-eat, such as frozen pizzas, according to package instructions.

For more information on the product recall, visit the Department of Health Web site at http://health.state.tn.us/ or the U.S. Department of Agriculture Web site at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/Recall_049_2007_Release/index.asp. To learn more about E. coli infection and how to prevent it, visit http://health.state.tn.us/FactSheets/ecoli.htm.

http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_116253.asp

Labels: E coli kidney failure, E coli lawyer, pizza

What to Do if Someone in Your Family Ate Some Recalled Totino’s or Jeno’s Pizza

If someone in your family ate some recalled Totino’s or Jeno’s pizza, you will need to watch for symptoms of E. coli for at most 10 days after consumption of the pizza. The incubation period for E. coli O157:H7 is usually between 3 and 4 days, but it can take as long as 10 days for E. coli symptoms to manifest.

Symptoms of E. coli O157:H7 include abdominal cramping, watery / bloody diarrhea, nausea and sometimes a fever. Even “mild” cases of E. coli O157:H7 will be noticeably different from the flu. The pain is intense and the diarrhea can be explosive. If you get E. coli, it will be one of the worst experiences of your life.

[A woman who works at our firm makes her children guzzle down cranberry juice for days if she thinks they have eaten a product that may be contaminated with E. coli. There is some scientific evidence to support the theory that cranberry juice may be able to prevent an E. coli infection, but we do not know of any published research on the amount and concentration of cranberry juice that would be necessary to make a difference.]

If anyone in your family experiences E. coli symptoms, especially the bloody diarrhea, seek medical attention immediately and tell them about the exposure to the potentially contaminated Jeno’s or Totino’s pizza. Special tests will need to be done to determine if the E. coli infection is E. coli O157:H7, and further testing will need to be done if E. coli O157:H7 is involved to determine if the DNA fingerprint of the bacteria matches the Jeno’s-Totino’s-outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7. Contact an E. coli lawyer at our office if there is an E. coli O157:H7 diagnosis.

Please note what the CDC has to say about treatment of an E. coli O157:H7 infection:

Antibiotics should not be used to treat this infection, and it is thought that treatment with some antibiotics could lead to kidney complications. Antidiarrheal agents, such as loperamide (Imodium®), should also be avoided.

Your doctor should know this information.

Labels: cranberry juice cocktail, pizza, symptoms

JENO’S AND TOTINO’S LAWSUIT AND LAWYER: Below is a CDC update of the Jeno’s and Totino’s Pizza E. coli outbreak. Pritzker | Olsen, a leading E. coli law firm, is providing this information as a public service. Pritzker | Olsen is investigating the E. coli outbreak linked to Jeno's / Totino's pizza, products of General Mills. For a free consultation regarding a Jeno's / Totino's lawsuit (General Mills will be a plaintiff), contact Pritzker | Olsen toll-free at 1-888-377-8900 or submit the firm's online consultation form on the right for review by an E. coli lawyer at the firm.

CDC Update Regarding the Jeno’s and Totino’s Pizza E. coli Outbreak: Investigation of Outbreak of Human Infections Caused by E. coli O157:H7

The Tennessee State Department of Health and CDC are collaborating with public health officials in multiple states and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) to investigate an ongoing multistate outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections in humans. A study comparing foods eaten by ill persons to foods eaten by well persons showed that eating frozen pizza that contained pepperoni and was produced by the General Mills company under the brand names of Totino's or Jeno's was the likely source of the illness. [This epidemiological evidence will be important in a Jeno’s / Totino’s lawsuit.]

As of November 1st, at least 21 isolates of E. coli O157:H7 with an indistinguishable genetic fingerprint have been collected from ill persons in 10 states: Illinois (1 person), Kentucky (3), Missouri (2), New York (2), Ohio (1), Pennsylvania (1), South Dakota (1), Tennessee (8), Virginia (1), and Wisconsin (1). [Each E. coli outbreak involves a genetically-unique E. coli O157:H7 strain; therefore, anyone sickened by an outbreak-strain of E. coli O157:H7 is part of the outbreak. Genetic fingerprint patterns will play an important role in a Jeno’s / Totino’s lawsuit.]

Persons became ill between July 20, 2007, and October 10, 2007. The age of ill persons ranges from 1 to 65 years with a median age of 9; 53% of ill persons are female. At least 8 people have been hospitalized, and 4 have developed a type of kidney failure known as hemolytic-uremic syndrome, or HUS. No deaths have been reported.

The Tennessee State Department of Health, working with CDC and health officials in several other states, coordinated a study to identify the source of these infections. Eating a Totino's or Jeno's brand frozen pizza containing pepperoni was significantly associated with illness. The source of contamination of the pizzas is not known at this time. Company officials are working closely with CDC, USDA-FSIS, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and state health and agricultural departments to identify the source of the contamination. General Mills has ceased shipment of all frozen pizza products that contain pepperoni and has announced a voluntary recall. Read about the Jeno's and Totino's pizza recall.

Consumers should not eat recalled Totino's or Jeno's brand frozen pizzas that contain pepperoni as a topping. Anyone who has eaten the product but did not become ill need not take any special action. People who are ill with diarrhea within a week of consuming this type of frozen pizza should seek medical care and let their doctor know about the exposure.

If you or your child is diagnosed with E. coli O157:H7 after eating a Jeno’s or Totino’s pizza, an E. coli lawyer at our firm is available for a free consultation regarding a Jeno’s / Totino’s lawsuit. We are one of the few law firms in the country that practices extensively in the area of E. coli litigation. This experience translates into the ability to come to the negotiating knowing what an E. coli case is worth. Contact us.

Labels: CDC, lawsuit, pizza