New Campaign from Food Safety Attorney Bill Marler Urges Council to Make Pathogen Cronobacter sazakii Reportable

Marler Argues that Abbott Infant Formula Outbreak and Recall were Preventable.

SEATTLE, May 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Bill Marler, a food safety attorney, has launched a campaign with t-shirts stating, "For Babies Sake, Make Cronobacter sazakii Reportable". After reviewing the investigation into the Abbot infant formula outbreak and recall, Marler believes that it could have been prevented if the law required reporting Cronobacter sazakii as an adulterant in food. Currently only two states require reporting of Cronobacter sazakii.  

To send a clear message to decision makers, Marler sent t-shirts directly to the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists, who are tasked to make recommendations as to what pathogens are reportable.

"I hope that these t-shirts will be a reminder of the awesome responsibility that this council has to protect the public," said Marler.

The FDA had reports of safety failures at the Abbott plant months before the contaminated formula sickened babies and caused two deaths. 

The head of the FDA said in testimony to congress months ago:

"The CDC receives reports on foodborne disease outbreaks from state, local, and territorial health departments. On average, CDC receives two to four Cronobacter case reports annually; however, because Cronobacter infection is not reportable in most states, the total number of cases that occur in the United States each year is not known." 

Here is a bit of history about why having bacterial infections reportable can make a difference. 

In 1992, from mid-November to mid-January, cases of E. coli O157:H7-associated bloody diarrhea and the hemolytic-uremic syndrome had been reported in San Diego County, California and one child died. Eventually, a total of 34 persons had bloody diarrhea, the hemolytic-uremic syndrome, or E. coli O157:H7 organisms isolated from stool during the period November 1992, through January 1993. However, because E. coli O157:H7 was not reportable in California at the time, the outbreak went unrecognized.

Because E. coli O157:H7 was not reportable at that time, the same meat that was contaminated was shipped to Washington, Idaho, Oregon and Nevada causing three more deaths and nearly 700 illnesses. According to public health officials: 

Improved surveillance by mandating laboratory – and physician – based reporting of cases of E coli O157:H7 infection and the hemolytic uremic syndrome might have alerted health officials to this outbreak sooner, which could have resulted in earlier investigation and the institution of measures to prevent more cases. 

Clearly, had E. coli O157:H7 been reportable, public health officials in California would have caught the illnesses and most likely prevented the hamburgers from being shipped to other states. Hundreds of people – specifically children – would not have been sickened and three would likely not have died. 

Make Cronobacter sakazakii reportable and save lives. 

About Bill Marler
An accomplished attorney and national expert in food safety, William (Bill) Marler has become the most prominent foodborne illness lawyer in America and a major force in food policy in the U.S. and around the world. Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm, has represented thousands of individuals in claims against food companies whose contaminated products have caused life altering injury and even death. Marler founded Food Safety News in 2009.

SOURCE Marler Clark, The Nation's Food Safety Law Firm