Wites & Rogers COMMENTS THAT BLUE BELL ICE CREAM ILLNESSES ARE MORE WIDESPREAD THAN REPORTED
(Lighthouse Point, FL) – Wites & Rogers reports that illness from contaminated Blue Bell Ice Cream is more widespread than indicated in news reports and government press releases. According to The Centers for Disease Control (CDC), “as of April 20, 2015, a total of ten patients infected with several strains of Listeria monocytogenes were reported from four states: Arizona (1), Kansas (5), Oklahoma (1), and Texas (3).” Attorney Marc Wites of Wites & Rogers stated that “additional people in several other states have become ill from eating Blue Bell Ice Cream, and such illnesses have resulted in hospitalizations, ER visits, doctor visits, missed work and missed school, for many Blue Bell consumers.” The firm is representing clients in Tennessee, Florida, Texas, Nevada, Arizona, and Georgia.
Mr. Wites is not suggesting that government agencies are under-reporting the breadth of the outbreak. Mr. Wites explained that “people were not necessarily aware of the cause of their illnesses until the listeria contamination was reported, which allowed them to causally connect their consumption of the ice cream with the onset of their illness.”
On April 21, 2015, Blue Bell announced an expansion of the recall, which now includes all Blue Bell Products. According to the company, the products are distributed and sold throughout the United States, including “Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wyoming.”
Since the original recall, Wites & Rogers has been contacted by more than 100 potential victims who have eaten the ice cream and became ill. Marc Wites of Wites & Rogers theorized that “it is likely that only a small fraction of the people who became ill after eating Blue Bell contacted Wites & Rogers, such that this problem is much more widespread than what is being reported.”
The incubation period for the invasive type of Listeria infection that may result from eating contaminated Blue Bell Ice cream “is typically a few days to one, month, but can be up to 70 days”, according a April 9, 2015 Health Advisory from the Texas Department of State Health Services. “Symptoms may include fever and muscle aches, sometimes preceded by diarrhea and other gastrointestinal symptoms.”
The Health Advisory explains that “people at high risk for invasive listeriosis include pregnant women, adults 65 and older, and people with weakened immune systems.”
Persons experiencing such symptoms such immediately seek medical attention.
Contacts
Wites & Rogers
Marc Wites , 866-277-8631
mwites@witeslaw.com
