When Sheila Vega gave birth to her daughter, Skylin, two years ago at the Stanislaus County Doctors Medical Center, she never expected that her newborn would fall victim to salmonella poisoning. Apparently, Skylin and a second infant became infected with the same Newport strain of Salmonella, leading Vega to believe that both infants got the condition from a single source from somewhere inside the medical center.
In her lawsuit against the facility, Vega and her legal team are saying that Doctors Medical Center have been covering up an alleged salmonella outbreak that occurred earlier in 2012 inside the hospital's NICU or neonatal intensive care unit. This is the same department where Vega's daughter and the other infant were confined when they both contracted salmonella infection. Confinement in the NICU is common practice for infants who are born premature. The lawsuit maintains that Skylin became infected due to the hospital's negligence and malpractice. Since the lawsuit was filed, several other cases of children being infected with the Newport salmonella strain within the same hospital have come under investigation. Vega's chief counsel, Matthew Haberkorn, have already petitioned for the release of hospital records that woujld ascertain how many other babies have become infected with the salmonella strain during their confinement at the hospital.
Meanwhile, according to the attorneys that are representing the hospital, it was most likely that the child contracted salmonella infection from her mother or other family members. They say that it is impossible for the then infant Skylin to have gotten the infection from hospital nurses since they adhere to strict sanitation procedures within the hospital to prevent the spread of pathogens, especially in the NICU. In an official statement released by the Doctors Medical Center administration, they said that they "will continue to vigorously dispute these allegations in court." They are now petitioning to have the case dismissed.