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SHIGELLA
FOOD POISONING


Personal Injury Lawyer Reviewing Food Poisoning Cases for injured plaintiffs Nationwide
Nationwide Success

Shigellosis is a diarrheal disease caused by a group of bacteria called Shigella. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that Shigella causes about 500,000 cases of diarrhea in the U.S. each year. There are four different species of Shigella that may cause illness:

  • Shigella sonnei (the most common species in the United States)
  • Shigella flexneri
  • Shigella boydii
  • Shigella dysenteriae

Shigella infections are most commonly seen in child-care settings and schools. Shigellosis is also a common cause of traveler’s diarrhea from contaminated food and water.

Foods most often linked to Shigella outbreaks are salads and sandwiches that involve a lot of handling in food preparation, and Food-borne Illness. Ingesting a very small amount of the Shigella bacteria into your mouth is enough to cause symptoms. Plaintiffs can hold those responsible for illness in a Shigella infection lawsuit.

Joe Lyon is a highly-rated Ohio personal injury attorney with experience in injuries due to food poisoning. The Lyon Firm has represented plaintiffs nationwide in foodborne illness claims and can review your Shigella Infection Lawsuit.


Signs & Symptoms of Shigella Infection


Symptoms of shigellosis typically present one to three days after exposure to the germ and symptoms usually last about 5 to 7 days. In some cases, it can be several months before bowel habits are entirely normalized. Symptoms may include:

  • Sudden abdominal cramping
  • Fever
  • Diarrhea that may be bloody or contains mucus
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Feeling the need to pass stool when bowels are empty

Shigella bacteria are found in the stool of infected people, and can persist for up to a week or two after the diarrhea symptoms have gone. Shigella germs are very contagious, and people generally contract shigellosis when they ingest something that has come into contact with the stool of someone else who is ill with shigellosis.


Shigella Infection Lawsuit


Children, especially toddlers aged two to four are at most risk of contracting shigellosis. Typical risk factors include the following:

  • Touching anything contaminated with germs from an infected person, such as toys, bathroom fixtures, or diaper changing tables
  • Changing the diapers of a sick child
  • Eating food prepared by someone ill with shigellosis
  • Swallowing contaminated water from a lake, river or swimming pool
  • Having exposure to stool during sexual contact with someone carrying the shigella bacteria
    Prevention is crucial, and certain safety measures include:
  • Washing hands with soap frequently, especially using bathrooms, after changing diapers, and before preparing food
  • Properly disposing of soiled diapers
  • Disinfecting diaper changing areas with each use
  • Keeping children with diarrhea away from child care settings
  • Supervising the hand washing of children
  • Refraining from preparing food for others while ill with diarrhea
  • Avoiding ingesting water from ponds, lakes, or swimming pools
  • Drinking only treated or boiled water in developing countries

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ABOUT THE LYON FIRM

Joseph Lyon has 17 years of experience representing individuals in complex litigation matters. He has represented individuals in every state against many of the largest companies in the world.

The Firm focuses on single-event civil cases and class actions involving corporate neglect & fraud, toxic exposure, product defects & recalls, medical malpractice, and invasion of privacy.

NO COST UNLESS WE WIN

The Firm offers contingency fees, advancing all costs of the litigation, and accepting the full financial risk, allowing our clients full access to the legal system while reducing the financial stress while they focus on their healthcare and financial needs.

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A Voice for Those who have suffered

Why are these cases important?

Serious injuries and accidents often result through no fault of the injured party, yet the injured victim suffers from life altering physical, mental and financial losses. Such economic and human losses can have devastating financial consequences on individuals and families if not properly compensated. Tort law allows those individuals to seek just legal recourse through personal injury lawsuits.

CONTACT THE LYON FIRM TODAY

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Questions about Food Poisoning Cases

Why Should I File a Food Poisoning Lawsuit?

According to the most recent data collected by the CDC, the majority (64 percent) of serious food poisoning outbreaks are caused by food prepared at restaurants, catering events or banquet facilities.

A legal claim against a company is likely to get a fast settlement if you hire an experience personal injury attorney. Filing a lawsuit indicates to the company that you are prepared to prove with sufficient evidence that their negligence caused a serious illness.

A legal claim also communicates to the company that you have an attorney that is willing to fight the company for however long it takes to win rightful compensation.

Once an injury claim is filed, an attorney can take legal steps to obtain relevant corporate and health department documents to help bolster a food poisoning case. Without a lawsuit, it may be difficult to get important company information. At this point, an attorney can interview restaurant employees, management, and other people involved to get additional information.

If you fall seriously ill, you may not be the only one. You may be part of an outbreak that must be contained for the sake of public health safety. Local health departments should know if you are part of an outbreak. People sickened in an outbreak may be able to seek settlements from the company that owns the restaurant.

Whether you get food poisoning from a restaurant or from contaminated food directly from a distributor, contact an attorney to find out if you have a case to sue for rightful compensation.

How Can I identify My Food Contamination?

Food poisoning occurs when the contaminated food enters the production line — any point during the growing, harvesting, processing, storage, shipping or preparation of the food product. Often cross-contamination and national or international distribution multiply the impacts of a single food outbreak.

The most hazardous culprits include raw foods of animal origin, such as raw meat, poultry, shellfish, uncooked eggs, and unpasteurized milk. Raw fruits and vegetables can also be a concern. Even foods like corn or cereals can contain high levels of mycotoxins, produced by mold on grain.

To protect your legal rights after falling ill from food poisoning, it is important that a medical professional test a urine, blood and stool sample to determine the specific pathogen (bacteria, virus or parasite) that made you sick.

This can narrow down where and how you were affected. Bacterial cells must be sent to a laboratory for genetic testing, and the results will be crucial evidence for a plaintiff. If you have any questions about the important lab testing or legal procedure, contact The Lyon Firm for information.

If the DNA patterns match, this is important evidence that can lead to a successful legal claim. Once you have medical evidence on your side, a personal injury attorney can advise you how to proceed against the negligent party that caused the illness.

Leftover food is sometimes tested to find out if it is contaminated. In some disease outbreaks, lawyers and health officials have gathered leftover food suspected of being the source of an illness. It is important to talk to a lawyer before throwing out leftover food from a restaurant.

How Can I Treat Food Poisoning?

Specific treatment for food poisoning depends on the severity and the source of the illness, if known. For most people, the illness resolves without treatment within a few days, though some types of food poisoning can last much longer. Treatment may include:

  • Rehydration/replacement of fluids and electrolytes—minerals that maintain the balance of fluids in your body are lost in persistent diarrhea and need to be replaced. Some patients with severe diarrhea or vomiting may need hospitalization, where they can receive intravenous salts and fluids to treat dehydration.
  • Antibiotics—doctors prescribe antibiotics with certain kinds of bacterial food poisoning. As a general rule, the sooner the treatment begins, the better the results. However, antibiotics may actually worsen symptoms in certain kinds of viral or bacterial food poisoning so it is crucial to identify the affecting pathogen first.