The number of cases in the E. coli outbreak linked to Chipotle restaurants in Washington and Oregon has officially dropped from 50 to 37. Health officials have trimmed seven cases from the total in Washington and six cases from the total in Oregon bringing the total number of cases in those states to 24 and 13 respectively.
The Washington State Department of Health said the numbers were revised as results from “more definitive tests” became available. Five Washington locations have been linked to the outbreak. They are located at: Hazel Dell, 7715 NE 5thAvenue, Suite 109, in Vancouver; 1404 Broadway Avenue and 4229 University Way NE in Seattle; 512 Ramsey Way 101 in Kent; and 1753 S. Burlington Blvd. in Burlington.
In Oregon, the 13 patient who range in age form 11 to 61 are from four counties: Multnomah, Clackamas, Washington and Columbia. There is also one person in Minnesota who has been sickened by the outbreak strain of E. coli O26, but health officials do not believe that case is linked to the outbreak.
Health officials have still not determined the contaminated food source. Tests have been performed on a number of food items. The initial round of tests did not produce any positives for E. coli.
According to a lawsuit filed on behalf of Washington woman, one of the ingredients in a burrito bowl was the source of illness. She ordered the meal from a Vancouver location on October 21 and began experiencing symptoms of an E. coli infection including abdominal cramps and bloody diarrhea about three days later.
The CDC no new cases have been reported since October 30, but additional cases currently being tested may eventually be added to the total. The investigation is ongoing.
