October 9, 2013 — Health officials have reported that a food poisoning outbreak linked to raw chicken from Foster Farms involves seven strains of the Salmonella bacteria, including antibiotic-resistant strains. Nearly 300 people in 18 states have been injured in the outbreak, and 42% have been hospitalized.
The government shutdown has hampered multi-state outbreak investigations. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) normally runs PulseNet, which is a network of public laboratories that sift through data on food poisoning outbreaks. Thomas Frieden, the director of the CDC, said that not having PulseNet running is “an imminent threat to health and safety.”
Out of 9,000 CDC employees, only 30 have been brought back to respond to the antibiotic-resistant Salmonella outbreak. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has brought back only one furloughed employee, a public affairs worker who published a health alert on October 7.
Wired spoke with a CDC staffer who stated:
“I know that we will not be conducting multi-state outbreak investigations. States may continue to find outbreaks, but we won’t be doing the cross-state consultation and laboratory work to link outbreaks that might cross state borders.”
Although Salmonella is a relatively common cause of food-borne illness, antibiotic-resistant outbreaks can be deadly, especially for children, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems. Cooking chicken to an internal temperature of 165ºF can kill Salmonella.
Do I have a Food Poisoning Lawsuit?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting food poisoning induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has been injured by Salmonella, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Food Poisoning Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
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