New Food Poisoning Hotline in Iowa Aims to Reduce Outbreaks

 Posted on October 22, 2016 in Food poisoning attorney

In Iowa, food poisoning victims have a new resource to turn toward for help: IowaSic, the new statewide food poisoning hotline. This hotline is a joint initiative between the Iowa Department of Public Health and the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals. The hotline is intended to help these agencies identify potential food poisoning outbreaks in the state before they occur.

This hotline was developed after 127 people in Iowa, Nebraska, and the surrounding states fell ill during the 2013 Cyclospora outbreak. According to Dr. Patricia Quinlisk of the Iowa Department of Public Health, Iowa was the first state to identify the cause of that outbreak, which allowed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the United States Food and Drug Administration to take action to contain it. If IowaSic had existed in 2013, the outbreak could potentially have been contained sooner. If IowaSic proves to be a successful way of managing and preventing food poisoning outbreaks, other states could follow suit in the future by developing their own hotlines. Currently, Chicago food poisoning victims can make reports to Foodborne Chicago, a website that provides resources to victims. Nationwide, victims can make reports to foodsafety.gov.

What Happens When a Food Poisoning Victim Calls IowaSic?

When an individual experiencing food poisoning symptoms calls IowaSic, he or she is connected with a specialist who works to identify the symptoms and connect them to potential causes. Callers tell the specialists all of the symptoms they have experienced, when they experienced the symptoms and the length of time they lasted. They then work with the specialist to determine all that they consumed before and after the symptoms occurred. If the specialist determines that there is a strong probability that a caller's illness was caused by food consumed at a restaurant or purchased from a retailer, he or she forwards this information to the authorities to conduct an investigation of that restaurant or retailer.

IowaSic will ideally help both victims and state agencies. The victims will be able to easily identify the type of food poisoning they are facing and determine whether to seek medical intervention. The reports collected will also help the Iowa Department of Public Health and the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals to stop food poisoning outbreaks at their sources.

Work with an Experienced Buffalo Grove Food Poisoning Lawyer

Illinois does not yet have a statewide food poisoning hotline like Iowa has, but perhaps some day it will. In the meantime, familiarize yourself with the food poisoning resources you do have, such as your local health department, and report any incidences of food poisoning you or your child experience that could be linked to negligence by another party. If your illness causes you to suffer financial damages, consider working with a member of our team of experienced food poisoning lawyers at Newland & Newland, LLP to file and pursue a personal injury claim. We serve clients in the Arlington Heights, Palatine, Rolling Meadows, Libertyville, Mundelein, Buffalo Grove, Schaumburg, Elk Grove, and Itasca areas from our office located in Chicago.