Author: Attorney Fred Pritzker
In February I participated in a debate at Harvard Law School regarding raw milk. As I said then, raw milk is a dangerous product, made more dangerous by the fact that consumers are not given adequate warning of the risk of serious illness, including E. coli O157 and its complications, particularly hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).
It now seems likely that raw milk is the source of the E. coli outbreak in Missouri that has sickened 9 people, including 2 children who now have E. coli-HUS. A 2-year-old and 17-month-old are in hospitals in Missouri fighting for their lives, and their parents are wondering how a glass of milk could have caused it. My best guess is that these parents were not told this could happen to their children before they purchased the raw milk.
For those who have never had a loved one with HUS, it is the illness equivalent of a full-body boa squeeze. The kidneys and often the pancreas shut down; clots caused by the HUS can migrate to the brain and cause strokes; the heart can be damaged; there can be respiratory failure. About 5% of E. coli-HUS patients die.
Ten other people were also sickened in this outbreak. The illnesses occurred in four counties:
- Boone County
- Camden County
- Clark County
- Cooper County
- Howard County
- Jackson
Food safety attorney Fred Pritzker represents E. col victims throughout the United States. He and his team of E. coli lawyers have won millions for E. coli and HUS victims and their families. To contact Fred call 1-888-377-8900(toll free) or submit our free consultation form. We are not paid unless you win.
