Marler Clark represents seven of the Marines who were victims in this E. coli outbreak. These cases were settled. The settlement included lost wages, medical expenses and future long term medical costs.
The Marine Corps San Diego and Camp Pendleton E. coli O157:H7 outbreak was reported in a CDC report by Amelia Keaton. In total, there were 243 (62 confirmed cases, 62 probable, and 122 suspected) cases.
Symptom onset dates for victims ranged from October 17, 2017 to November 19, 2017. Patients ranged in age from 17-28 years old. In total, 30 people were hospitalized and 15 were diagnosed with HUS.
Consumption of undercooked beef was found to be the probable cause of the outbreak. The beef and food services were provided by Sodexo, Inc. When health officials questioned the Marines food service workers, they were unaware of the minimum cooking temperatures for beef.
A total of 43 cases and 135 controls were recruited to take part in a study of this outbreak. Of those interviewed, 42% reported consuming visibly undercooked beef in the seven days before illness onset, compared with 24% of the controls.
Investigators found that there was a lack of good hygiene conditions. Many reported insufficient time to wash hands, lack of soap and/or sanitizer at hygiene stations in the dining facility. Other notable comments included the frequent use of items other than toilet paper when using he latrine (including baby wipes, cardboard, writing paper, and hands).