E. coli Investigation Closes Ellensburg, Washington Day Care Facilities
The Kittitas County Public Health Department has temporarily shut down two day cares in Ellensburg, Washington, Creative Kids Learning Center and Little Tot Town, because two children who attend the day cares have suspected E. coli infections, reports The Yakima Herald . According to health officials, a third child, a 5-year-old from Ellensburg, was hospitalized with a laboratory-confirmed E. coli infection. The 5-year-old is not related to the other two children, who are siblings. Health officials are investigating whether the three had contact with one another.
Children from the two day care facilities won’t be allowed to attend any day care center until they pass two tests showing they are free of E. coli.
In April, an E. coli outbreak at a day care in Vancouver, Washington resulted in the hospitalization of 4 children, one of whom died. Pritzker Olsen law firm is representing the family of the child who died.
Minnesota Department of Agriculture Focusing on Raw Milk after E. coli Outbreak
Earlier this month, Minnesota health officials linked an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak that sickened 8 people to raw milk products from the Hartmann Dairy Farm in Gibbon, Minnesota.
During their investigation of the Hartmann farm, health officials found 28 environmental and animal samples from the Hartmann farm that tested positive for E. coli O157:H7. Twenty-six samples had the same DNA fingerprint as the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7. The positive samples included environmental samples from the dairy barn where the cows are milked, according to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture now has a link to the following raw milk information on the home page of its website:
Raw milk, or milk straight from the cow, sheep or goat without any further pasteurization or processing, can contain harmful bacteria that may cause people who consume the milk to become sick. These bacteria can come from many sources on the farm including:
- The animals themselves
- Milking equipment contaminated with manure
- Water
- Soil
- Anywhere that fecal contamination can be found
Some of these bacteria include:
- Campylobacter
- E. coli O157:H7
- Salmonella
- Listeria
Because of the potential risks associated with consuming raw milk, Minnesota law restricts the sale of this type of milk for human consumption. The law does provide an alternative for people who want to consume raw milk. On an occasional basis, consumers may go directly to farms to secure the raw milk directly from the farmer. This exemption applies to cow, goat and sheep farms (or any other species producing milk for human consumption) equally.
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture has stepped up its enforcement of a Minnesota law that prohibits the sale of raw milk unless a consumer, using his or her own bottle, buys the milk at the farm where the milk is produced. Minnesota Statutes 32.393 Limitation on Sale of Milk reads as follows:
“No milk, fluid milk products…shall be advertised, offered or exposed for sale…for the purpose of human consumption in fluid form in this state unless the same has been pasteurized and cooled… this section will not apply to milk… occasionally secured or purchased for personal use by any consumer at the farm where the milk is produced.
E. coli Raw Milk Minnesota Outbreak Investigation Grows
A Minnesota E. coli outbreak linked to raw milk has state health officials digging deeper into the investigation of how at least eight people became sick, and how to prevent the outbreak from growing, according to local news sources.
The E. coli raw milk outbreak has been linked to Hartmann Farm dairy in Gibbon, Minnesota and has sickened at least 8 people. At least one of the cases has developed into a serious complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome, or E. coli HUS. This occurs when the E. coli infection damages the blood cells, causing serious kidney problems and in some cases, death.
Since state health investigators from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) and the Minnesota State Health Department (MDH) began investigating the farm on May 26, they have returned to confiscate records and collect samples from Hartmann Farm owner Michael Hartmann. At the beginning of the investigation, health officials stated the strain of E. coli found at the Hartmann farm matched the strain found in the outbreak victims. Later, according to news sources:
“State investigators went back to the Michael Hartmann farm in Gibbon a second time last Wednesday to collect more samples, confiscate financial records, and document what they allege are unsanitary conditions on the farm.”
Throughout the investigation, officials have pointed to a number of concerns about the farm and its production process, including unsanitary conditions due mostly to manure contamination, and milking facilities that investigators called “filthy.” Officials took photos and collected more testing samples on a June 16 search of the farm, and confiscated Hartmann’s financial and production records, which officials believe will show Hartmann was producing and selling foods like milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream and meat all in violation of food safety laws.
Vancouver Daycare Closes After Child’s E. coli Death
After a 4-year-old Vancouver boy died of E. coli poisoning, the home daycare center he attended has had its license permanently revoked by Washington state health officials, according to the Columbian.
The boy became sick with the life-threatening E. coli O157:H7 pathogen in April. After being rushed to the hospital with bloody diarrhea–a strong sign of an Ecoli infection–the deadly bacteria attacked his kidneys and colon. He was put on dialysis and died after spending a week in a Portland hospital.
In addition to the one E coli death there were 13 cases of E. coli poisoning related to this outbreak, according to county health officials. Three others were hospitalized but recovered and 10 more people tested positive for the pathogen but had only mild E. coli symptoms. The owners of the day care, who have operated it for about 20 years, say they plan to appeal the state’s revocation of the license. Health officials told local news sources that the license was being revoked for several reasons:
- The daycare owners waited too long before reporting child illnesses to the county health department
- The daycare did not follow state-regulated diapering procedures
- The daycare lacked sufficient records for one of the children who attended
- A previous citation was on record for operating over the capacity for which they were licensed, which was only 12 children
Health officials have said the infection was most likely spread by person-to-person contact and that it was not a case of foodborne illness.
Raw Milk E. coli Outbreak Linked to Hartmann Dairy Farm in Minnesota
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has released new evidence that an E. coli outbreak that has sickened at least 5 Minnesotans is linked to raw milk products from the Hartmann Dairy Farm in Gibbon, Minnesota. The strain of E. coli bacteria that sickened these people came from Hartmann Dairy Farm, according to the MDH.
Several victims were hospitalized, including a toddler with hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which is a serious complication that can arise from E. coli poisoning and can do life-long kidney damage to patients, especially the very young and the elderly. These illnesses occurred throughout the state of Minnesota. Initially, the common link between these illnesses, health officials say, was that they had all consumed products from the Hartmann dairy farm. This epidemiological link, however, is now reinforced by the MDH’s confirmation through microbiological testing that the strain of E. coli found on the farm is the same strain found in the patients. Additionally, the MDH reports:
“…the specific strain of E. coli O157:H7 found in the ill patients has also been found in multiple animals and at multiple sites on the Hartmann farm. This strain of E. coli has not previously been found in Minnesota. Furthermore, laboratory tests confirmed that cheese samples collected last week from the farm contained another form of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, demonstrating that an ongoing pathway of contamination existed on the farm.”
The food safety lawyers at Pritzker Olsen attorneys currently represent a man sickened from raw milk contaminated with Campylobacter. He developed Guillain-Barre syndrome as is now paralyzed. Our attorneys are all too familiar with the dangers that can arise from consuming raw milk.
What is Raw Milk? Why Can it Make Us Sick?
Most milk in the supermarket is pasteurized in order to kill potentially harmful bacteria, such as E. coli and Campylobacter. However, some people believe raw, or unpasteurized milk is more nutritious than pasteurized milk and choose to drink it. Public health organizations such as the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Medical Association, the World Health Organization and the American Academy of Pediatrics all advocate pasteurization as a standard practice.
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture restricts the sale of raw milk to occasional sales of milk directly from the farmer to consumer. If consumers choose to drink raw milk, the MDA urges that they:
- Do their homework: consumers should educate themselves on how to consume raw milk SAFELY and RESPONSIBLY
- Consumers MUST go directly to the farm to get the milk, according to Minnesota law.
- Consumers MUST bring their own containers. Farmers are NOT allowed to bottle their own raw milk for sale.
E. coli Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome Case In MN Raw Milk Outbreak
A Hartmann Dairy Farm E. coli raw milk outbreak in Minnesota has left one toddler in the hospital with hemolytic uremic syndrome (E. coli HUS) and infected three other Minnesotans with the dangerous pathogen, E. coli 0157:H7.
The other three E coli victims include a 70-year-old man and two school-aged children. The Minnesota Department of Health has confirmed that all four cases involve the same strain of Ecoli, with the same DNA fingerprint. Three of the four cases are reportedly linked to raw milk produced by Hartmann Dairy Farm of Gibbon, MN. The Minnesota health department urged in a press release:
“anyone who may have recently purchased milk from the Hartmann Dairy Farm, also known as M.O.M.’s, to discard the product and not consume it.”
The MDH press release also mentions that the milk may be labeled simply as “organic” and consumers may not be aware that the milk is raw and unpasteurized. Some people believe that raw, unpasteurized milk is healthier than pasteurized milk, although scientific evidence on this point is inconclusive.
Pasteurization makes milk safer for human consumption and it is illegal to sell raw, unpasteurized milk across state lines. In Minnesota, the sale of raw milk is heavily regulated by law. However, new facts have surfaced about the owner and operator of Hartmann Dairy Farms, showing he has resisted regulations. According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune:
“Michael Hartmann, whose dairy is just outside this town of 800 people, last had a license to sell Grade A milk in 2001. He has kicked inspectors off his property, refused to tell a judge his name in court and asserted he is a “natural man” with a constitutional right to raise and sell food without government interference.”
About E. coli and Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome
Symptoms of an E. coli infection are initially painful and uncomfortable, and may include abdominal pain, bloody diarrhea and nausea. They may begin 2 to 5 days after the contaminated food or fluids are consumed. However, the infection can soon turn life-threatening if it develops into Ecoli HUS syndrome (hemolytic uremic syndrome). This can cause kidney failure, requiring dialysis treatment and leaving long-lasting effects that can severely affect the victim’s quality of life for years to come.
