Shigella Lawsuit Help
The Weinberg Law Firm is currently assisting victims of food poisoning outbreaks seek legal compensation for their injuries. If you or a loved one was sickened after consuming a Shigella contaminated product or meal and you have a question regarding your legal rights, please call our law firm toll free at 1-877-934-6274 for a free legal case evaluation.
About Shigella Food Poisoning and Shigellosis
Shigellosis, is an infection caused by a group of bacteria called Shigella. Shigella is transmitted from person to person via fecal to oral contact. The CDC reports that there are about 15,000 laboratory-confirmed cases of shigellosis in the United States each year, although the true occurrence may range from 24,511 to 374,789 cases annually.*
Common ways that Shigella is spread include:
• Infected food handlers who do not adequately wash their hands with soap and water after using the bathroom;
• Consuming produce grown in sewage contaminated fields;
• Flies, which breed in infected feces and then contaminate food;
• Drinking or swimming in Shigella contaminated water. Water may become contaminated if sewage runs into it, or if someone with shigellosis swims in it.
Shigellosis can spread rapidly in daycare centers, schools, nursing homes, and in any other setting where hygiene (particularly hand washing habits) is poor.
Diagnosis of Shigella Food Poisoning
Shigella infection is diagnosed by a stool culture, a laboratory test that can detect the bacterium in the stool of an infected person. A stool culture can be ordered by your doctor if he or she believes that it is appropriate.
Symptoms and Complications of Shigella Food Poisoning
Shigellosis symptoms may include diarrhea (sometimes bloody); blood, mucus, or pus in stool; fever; abdominal pain or cramping; nausea and vomiting; tenesmus (straining to have bowel movements, even when bowels are empty); and malaise. Symptoms may appear within 8 hours to as late as 2 days after consuming Shigella contaminated food or coming into contact with the pathogen. Shigella may be found in a person’s stool weeks after symptoms have resolved. Some individuals who are infected may have no symptoms at all, yet they may still pass the bacteria to others.
Uncomplicated cases of shigellosis usually resolve in 5-7 days. While the illness is often mild, the elderly, young children, and immunocompromised may be more likely to develop severe complications including, rectal bleeding, mucosal ulceration, and/or diarrhea and dehydration.
Severe outcomes of shigellosis can also include Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome, or Reiter’s Syndrome (reactive arthritis).
Free Shigella Lawsuit Evaluation
If you have been diagnosed with Shigella food poisoning, are awaiting confirmation of infection, or have a question regarding your legal rights, you can request a free personal injury lawsuit case evaluation by calling The Weinberg Law Firm toll free at 1-877-934-6274.
*Table 2 Estimated Annual Number of Episodes of Illnesses Caused by 31 Pathogens, US; www.cdc.gov/foodborneburden/PDFs/11_228412_pitts_factsheet_table2_remediated.pdf
The information contained on this page has been gathered from the websites of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, and other sources in the public domain.
