Prevention

Information on Shigella Prevention for Your Family
The following information about the symptoms of Shigella poisoning is provided by Pritzker | Ruohonen & Associates, P.A. Attorney Fred Pritzker has a national reputation for his work in the area of foodborne illness lawsuits. He is currently lead attorney for a major food poisoning lawsuit involving victims from several states. He has also been selected for inclusion in the 2005-2006 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. For more information about Fred Pritzker, please see Food Poisoning: Attorney and Lawyer.

How Can You Prevent Shigellosis?
Because there is no vaccine for Shigellosis, it is important to take the following simple steps to prevent a Shigella infection:

Frequently wash hands with soap and water
Keep infected individuals away from food
Avoid cross-contamination
Cook all meat and poultry thoroughly
Reheat ready-to-eat meat foods until steaming
Wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly
Refrigerate food properly

Shigella Prevention: Diaper Changing
Most Shigella infections occur via the oral-fecal route—meaning some small particle of the stool of an infected person is unintentionally ingested by another person. The easiest and best way to block the oral-fecal route is frequent and thorough hand-washing. People who change diapers or come into contact with toddlers should be especially careful and wash their hands frequently. Young children should be supervised while washing hands several times a day, especially if they are in day-care or are in the midst of toilet training.

If you have a child in diapers who has a Shigella infection, you may want to keep him out of contact with other children as much as possible. Dirty diapers from an infected child should be kept in a pail with a lid. The pail and changing area should be thoroughly cleaned with a disinfectant after the diapers have been disposed.

Shigella Prevention: Food Preparation
Even though hand washing can help prevent contamination, if you have Shigellosis you should not prepare food for your family until you know that you are no longer carrying the Shigella bacteria.

Cook meat, poultry and other raw foods thoroughly to 170° Fahrenheit. Meat and poultry can become contaminated with Shigella during processing or transport. If cooked thoroughly, even meat that has Shigella on its surface should be safe to eat. Refrigerate any leftovers soon after cooking. When reheating leftovers, make sure the food reaches proper temperatures.

Avoid cross contamination of raw and ready-to-eat foods. If you have been cutting raw meat or vegetables, make sure you thoroughly wash all surfaces and utensils before doing anything else. Thoroughly wash all fruits and vegetables before eating them. When storing raw meat in the refrigerator, keep it on the bottom shelf so that if juices leak, they do not contaminate other foods.

Shigella Prevention: Travel and Swimming
If you or your family travel to underdeveloped countries, make sure you drink only treated or boiled beverages. When swimming in a pool, try not to drink the water--even though most pool water is treated, if someone with Shigellosis has been swimming in it, it can become contaminated.

Shigella: Attorney and Free Consultation
If you or someone you love has been hospitalized after a Shigella infection or after any other foodborne illness, contact Pritzker | Ruohonen for a free consultation regarding your legal rights and remedies. Call toll-free at 1-888-377-8900, e-mail info@pritzkerlaw.com, or fill in the online consultation form.

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Firm News

Fred Pritzker Listed in The Best Lawyers in America

Fred Pritzker has been notified that he will again be listed in The Best Lawyers in America.

Taste of Chicago

Pritzker | Ruohonen attorney Rich Ruohonen is managing attorney for our Taste of Chicago / Pars Cove Salmonella cases, which involve a Salmonella outbreak with over 180 confirmed cases of Salmonella. Contact Rich Ruohonen regarding these cases at 1-888-377-8900 (toll-free).

E. coli Wrongful Death Settlement

We have recently settled a number of E. coli cases involving victims of various E. coli outbreaks, including a wrongful death claim.

Attorney Rich Ruohonen Has Article Published

Rich Ruohonen's recently published article addresses effective cross examination of the defence neuropsychologist.

Foodborne Outbreaks

Ohio E. coli Outbreak: Ground beef may have sickened people in both Michigan and Ohio.
Michigan E. coli Outbreak: Ground beef may have sickened people in both Michigan and Ohio.
Multi-State Salmonella Saintpaul Outbreak: Tomatoes have sickened hundreds of people throughout the United States.
Minnesota Preschool E. coli: Outbreak associated with Wonder World Preschool in Slayton, Minnesota.
Washington E. coli Lettuce: Outbreak associated with commercial romaine lettuce.
Texas Salmonella Saintpaul - Tomato: Outbreak most likely caused by Roma, red plum and/or red round tomatoes.
New Mexico Salmonella Saintpaul Linked to Tomatoes: Outbreak most likely caused by Roma, red plum and/or red round tomatoes.
Nebraska E. coli Outbreak Associated with Roast Beef
Hepatitis A - La Mesa California Chipotle - Lawyer and Lawsuit: San Diego County hepatitis A outbreak
Salmonella - Puffed Rice Recall and Puffed Wheat Recall: Malt-O-Meal cereal recall.
Minnesota Salmonella - Milford Valley Farms Lawsuit: Frozen chicken product.
Salmonella - Agropecuaria Montelibano Cantaloupe Recall: Cantaloupe from Honduras.
Salmonella Litchfield Cantaloupe Lawsuit: Recall of Dole, Chiquita and other brands.
Honolulu E. coli - Sekiya's Lawsuit and Lawyer: E. coli associated with Hawaii restaurant.
Alabama E. coli - Church Supper: Outbreak associated with Eastern Shore Baptis Church.
E. coli - Rochester Meat Company Recall and Lawsuit: Ground beef recall.
E. coli - Jeno's and Totino's Pizza Recall and Lawsuit: Pepperoni on pizza.
E. coli - Topps Recall and Lawsuit: Hamburger patty recall.
E. coli - Cargill/Sam's Club Recall and Lawsuit: Ground beef patty recall.
Listeria - Whittier Farms Recall and Lawsuit: Miscarriage and death linked to milk.
Hawaii Salmonella - Tuna Recall and Lawsuit
Salmonella - Safeway Ground Beef Recall and Lawsuit