A celebratory banquet for Rockwood Summit High School and several other local events has turned into a health crisis. Tuesday, a new lawsuit was filed against a catering company in St. Charles. The St. Charles County health department has not yet named the caterer as a source of the outbreak.
"It's much bigger than most people realize," said Jory Lange, a national food poisoning lawyer.
Lange is talking about an especially dangerous strain of bacteria. He tells us more than 100 people in our area fell ill, and 13 were hospitalized after events early last month. They were catered by Andre’s Banquet and Catering, which the St. Louis County Health Department cited. Meanwhile, court documents describe a second E. coli outbreak emerging in St. Charles County, linked to a parent-teacher conference in the Francis Howell School district.
“And the big news with this is now we're seeing the same E Coli 0157 involving lettuce in Saint Charles County and with a new caterer," said Lange.
Lange believes these local cases are part of a larger national outbreak linked to an iceberg and romaine lettuce blend from one of the largest farms in the U.S. While the product is no longer on the market, the damage is done. He estimates up to 1,800 people nationwide have been affected, including a St. Charles County woman who fought for her life and survived.
“She developed a type of acute kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome… severe enough that she had to have three blood transfusions," he said.
Officials with the Rockwood and Francis Howell school districts said they’ve been working closely with health officials. Lange said awareness is critical.
“Most outbreaks actually go under the radar. It's only occasionally that we actually hear about it from the public health departments," said Lange.
Food poisoning outbreaks are not new. In the past decade, Lange says there have been 78 lettuce-related outbreaks in the U.S.—impacting thousands of people. Most of these outbreaks are traced to contamination from animal feces.
The St. Charles health department said they’ve investigated 10 E. coli cases during the month of November. A spokesperson said it’s too early to know the source, as they stress the importance of safe food storage, handling, and handwashing for restaurants.
As for consumers, the FDA assured there’s no ongoing risk from lettuce currently on the market, but the investigation into this outbreak continues.
STATEMENTS
Sara Evers acting Director of St. Charles County Government - Public Health, told us in an email: “St. Charles County Department of Public Health regularly works with the State of Missouri on any foodborne illnesses. To that end, SCCDPH investigated 10 total reported cases of E. coli 0157 in the month of November. It is too early in the investigation process to identify the sources of the various reported cases. Each case of illness is being investigated thoroughly to assess any commonality with other local cases or national E. coli outbreaks, as well as identify potential risks to the public. This process can look for a connection to other cases by comparing specimen samples, product samples, and relevant data. SCCDPH environmental public health and sanitation inspectors educate restaurants on safe food storage, handling, and handwashing. Members of the public who are ill or who have questions about E. coli can reach SCCDPH by calling 636-949-7319.”
Ed Rhode, spokesman, Andre’s Banquets & Catering, told us: "From the onset of the St Louis E Coli outbreak, our thoughts have been foremost for the safety and wellbeing of our customers and community. We continue to hope and pray that anyone who became ill recovers and requires no further medical treatment. We understand how important it is to combat foodborne illnesses. It's why our staff goes through rigorous training and has been Servsafe certified since 1980. As we learn today of more illnesses in our community attributed to other vendors, we reiterate that it is unfair to name our business-- or any other-- without the conclusion of the state and local investigations into the St. Louis area E Coli outbreak. Until then we will continue to focus on the recovery of those who became ill and our continued service to our many valued customers.”
Bill Marler, an attorney representing more than 20 people who got sick in Missouri, Illinois and Idaho, told us it is very likely that this outbreak is far broader than just Andre's Banquet and Catering, given that there have been cases throughout the Midwest. He said he expects that the CDC, FDA and state health authorities will likely connect all the illnesses to an Iceberg/Romaine blend produced by Taylor Farms. “Over the past decade I have been involved with hundreds of E. coli, Salmonella and Cyclospora cases against Taylor Farms. They are a very large player in the industry, he said.
A CDC spokesperson told us: “CDC has been working with state partners and the FDA to investigate a multistate outbreak of E. coli O157 infections. There are currently 75 illnesses from 12 states infected with the same strain of E. coli O157. CDC is aware of more probable illnesses (people without information on the DNA fingerprint of the E. coli O157) in several states for people that attended events, restaurants, or schools. Based on the epidemiologic investigation and traceback data from our partners at FDA, this outbreak is linked to an iceberg and romaine lettuce blend served at catered events and at a school. FDA has determined that this lettuce blend came from a common supplier but is past its shelf life and no longer available to consumers. CDC is not recommending people avoid eating iceberg or romaine lettuce at this time.”
A spokesperson with the Francis Howell School district told us in a statement: “We are aware of an investigation into the food safety practices of caterers in our region and are cooperating fully with the St. Charles County Department of Health as they work to prevent the spread of E. coli. At this time we are not aware of an E. coli outbreak involving the District.” The spokesperson told us about 80 teachers attended Parent-Teacher conferences on November 6th and November 7th. The Parent Teacher Organization sponsored meals for teachers on both evenings, and had used the same caterer in the past.
“We are unable to provide any details about the specific reasons for employee absences. However, absence numbers were not out of the norm for that time of the school year,” the spokesperson told us, adding they are not aware of additional staff on medical leave from complications with E. Coli.
A spokesperson with the Rockwood School District told us in an email: “Since first learning on Nov. 13 of confirmed cases involving Rockwood Summit High School students, we have worked closely with the St. Louis County Department of Health to notify anyone who may have been at the band banquet on Nov. 7 or the Veterans Day event on Nov. 8 about the confirmed cases, symptoms to watch for and to contact their healthcare provider right away if they experienced symptoms. We have provided lists of students, staff and guests who attended those events, and we have assisted the Department of Health with notifications and sharing their survey to assist with their investigation. The safety and well-being of our students, staff, families and community members is something we take very seriously, and we are grateful to our county health officials for their thoroughness and diligence in working to identify the source of the outbreak. We are also doing everything we can to support those students, staff and families who are, in some cases, still recovering from this illness.”
The FDA and CDC, in collaboration with state and local partners are investigating illnesses in a multistate outbreak of E. coli O157 (ref #1280) infections linked to an iceberg and romaine lettuce blend served at catering events, restaurants, and a school. Based on epidemiological information collected by CDC, a total of 75 people infected with the same strain of E. coli O157 have been reported from 12 states. FDA’s traceback investigation has identified an iceberg and romaine lettuce blend from a common supplier as the source of this outbreak; however, impacted product identified to date appears to be past shelf life and no longer on the market. FDA is continuing to work with the supplier to determine if any additional product could be impacted. At this time, there does not appear to be any ongoing risk to public health and there is no recommendation for consumers to avoid iceberg or romaine lettuce. FDA’s investigation is ongoing, and more information will be provided as it becomes available.