107 sickened; company wants more proof it was source of Salmonella outbreak, sues government

In Feb., 2011, at least 107 people were sickened by Salmonella linked to pastries produced in Adelaide (that’s in Australia).

One of the victims, 71-year-old Norma Kent, swears she will never eat a Berliner bun again.

Having previously survived a heart attack, she says the food poisoning – which included a week in Wakefield Hospital on an intravenous drip – berliner.bunwas “far worse” than her heart scare.

“This is the worst illness I have ever experienced,” she said.

“I didn’t know what was wrong with me, it was like my insides were falling out … my body felt like it was exploding.”

On Feb. 4, 2011, Vili’s custard Berliners and St George Cakes and Gelati custard eclairs and cannolis were withdrawn from sale after South Australia Health established they were the common link in the reported cases.

Yesterday, lawyers for Adelaide baker Vili Milisits have asked for more evidence from SA Health as part of legal action undertaken by Mr Milisits who is suing the South Australian Government for defamation over its handling of the outbreak, claiming his credit and reputation were damaged.

ABC News reports at a Supreme Court hearing, Mr Milisits’ lawyer applied for more documentation from the health department so he could verify the accuracy of patient questionnaires.

He argued patients might have been prompted about specific products if they could not remember what they ate.

The lawyer argued all the department’s evidence about the source of the outbreak needed to be available for scrutiny.

The court will rule later.

Australian salmonella-in-custard victim: ‘My body felt like it was exploding’

One of 107 confirmed victims of the recent salmonella outbreak in Australia, 71-year-old Norma Kent, swears she will never eat a Berliner bun again.

Having previously survived a heart attack, she says the food poisoning – which included a week in Wakefield Hospital on an intravenous drip – was "far worse" than her heart scare.

"This is the worst illness I have ever experienced," she said.

"I didn’t know what was wrong with me, it was like my insides were falling out … my body felt like it was exploding."

Mrs Kent said she ate the Berliner bun on January 19 and became ill the next morning while at Glenelg beach with her husband and two grandchildren.

She was violently ill for the next four days suffering severe diarrhoea, nausea and severe headaches. When she went to her doctor on the fifth day, she was immediately admitted to Wakefield Hospital and treated for dehydration.

A South Australia Health spokeswoman yesterday said another 10 cases of salmonella poisoning were reported over the past week, bringing the total in the past five weeks to 107. Investigations were continuing to determine if all victims had consumed custard-filled products from either bakery.

The food poisoning outbreak, the largest since the Nippy’s outbreak in 1999 which hit more than 400 people, will soon enter the legal arena with around 30 of the victims engaging lawyers to launch a class action against the two companies.

Tindal Gask Bentley partner Tim White said only the more serious cases were involved in the proposed class action.