SAN DIEGO, CA – Seven families are filing a lawsuit against the operators of the San Diego County Fair in connection to the 2019 E. coli outbreak, according to CBS8.
A child from one of the families, 2-year-old Jedediah Cabezuela, died on June 24, 2019, due to E. coli he contracted from the fair’s animal exhibits.
The fair ran from May 31 to July 4 last year and shuttered its animal exhibits not long after the child died.
The lawsuit claims that the operator of the San Diego County Fair, the 22nd District Agricultural Association, did not take proper precautions and care during the operation of its petting zoo, livestock, and other animal exhibits.
The seven families were diagnosed with STEC, shiga-toxin-producing E. coli, a form of the infection that is accompanied by symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, and fever.
Each of the families visited the animal exhibits at the fair between June 8 and June 22, according to the report.
The lawsuit claims that the operators of the fair failed to warn customers of the risks involved in a live-animal exhibit, failed to provide hand-washing facilities, failed to properly clean and inspect the fairgrounds, failed to train employees in E. coli risk maintenance, and failed to screen animals for the infection.
The E. coli outbreak is still being investigated by multiple agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control, the California Department of Food and Agriculture, and the Health and Human Services Administration.
Representatives from the 22nd District Agricultura Association were not available for comment.
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