We have been working on updating www.about-ecoli.com, www.about-campylobacter.com, www.about-hepatitis.com and www.about-salmonella.com and have finally finished the upgrades.  In addition to updating the content to reflect the newest information on the "bugs," we added a new section called "One Family’s Story," so readers can get a better understanding of the impacts of foodborne illness.  Here are the links:

Isabella Armstrong, now six, and her three year-old sister Ashley, can often be found coloring, reading, or watching Dora the Explorer in front of the television. With her parents’ encouragement, Ashley is trying her best to be a normal three year old child, running and playing with her older sister and friends, scrapes and all. But in the aftermath of her E. coli O157:H7 infection and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) in 2006, it has become painfully clear that Ashley will never be a normal girl. Her mother Elizabeth has always done her best to feed her children healthful foods, and has always offered them plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. It is therefore ironic that the baby spinach Elizabeth served in a salad with spaghetti and meatballs on August 27, 2006 would change their lives forever.

Mari Tardiff, a public health nurse, and a busy wife, mother and athlete, was infected with Campylobacter after drinking raw milk that she had acquired through a “cow-share” program in California. She then developed Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), a rare and extremely serious complication of Campylobacter infections in which the body’s immune system attacks part of the peripheral nervous system. GBS left Mari paralyzed and fighting to regain body functions, including speech, movement, and breathing.

Richard Miller made a lunch date with his wife, never dreaming that a meal at a favorite Mexican-food restaurant would end up nearly killing him. But in 2003, Richard, along with hundreds of others, were infected after eating green onions contaminated with hepatitis A at a Chi Chi’s restaurant in Pennsylvania. Richard’s infection developed into fulminant hepatitis A, which required a liver transplant to save his life. Four other victims were not so lucky.

Clifford Tousignant, a veteran of the Korean War, and the recipient of three Purple Hearts, was infected by Salmonella contaminated peanut butter at the nursing home where he lived in Brainerd, Minnesota. Although he received skilled medical care throughout his illness, he did not survive his infection.  At the time of his death, Cliff left behind six children, fifteen grandchildren, and fourteen great-grandchildren.