The E. coli O26 outbreak at Chipotle restaurants in Oregon and Washington state has sickened at least 49 people, according to the latest case counts provided by the health departments. Thirty people are sick in Washington state, and nineteen people are sick in Oregon. The Chipotle restaurants associated with this outbreak in each state have been identified by public health officials. In Washington state, the five restaurants are located at Hazel Dell, 7715 NE 5th Avenue, Suite 109 in Vancouver; 1401 Broadway Avenue in Seattle; 4229 University Way NE in Seattle; 512 Ramsey Way 101 in Kent; and 1753 South Burlington Boulevard in Burlington. In Oregon, the six restaurants are located at 9687 NE Cascades Pkwy, Cascade Station; 9120 SW Hall Blvd, Washington Square; 8 Centerpointe Dr, Lake … [Read more...]
CDC Releases Report on Multistate Food Poisoning Outbreaks
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released a report titled "Safer Food Saves Lives." In it, they state that more multistate food poisoning outbreaks are being discovered and reported. Those outbreaks are very serious, even though individual food poisoning cases are more common. In fact, multistate outbreaks caused 56% of all deaths in all reported foodborne outbreaks, even though they accounted for just 3% of all outbreaks from 2010 to 2014. In other words, while multistate food poisoning outbreaks are not common, they are more deadly. That's because the bacteria Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria monocytogenes cause 91% of multistate outbreaks. Those bacteria can cause serious illness, severe complications such as hemolytic uremic syndrome, and are deadly. On … [Read more...]
CDC: Chipotle STEC E. Coli O26 Outbreak Sickens 41, Hospitalizes 14
The source of the Chipotle outbreak that has sickened 39 people in Washington and Oregon is shiga toxin-producing E. coli, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed in its initial report on the outbreak. Fourteen people have been hospitalized. Shiga toxins cause serious illness by damaging red blood cells and can trigger complications such as hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) which leads to kidney failure. HUS can also cause seizure, stroke, coma and death. Lab tests to determine the genetic fingerprint of the E. coli for all case patients are ongoing. Isolates from five people- two in Washington and three in Oregon had the same DNA fingerprint of shiga toxin-producing E. coli. At this time, the CDC does not believe Chipotle locations in other states are … [Read more...]
Chipotle E. coli Outbreak in Washington Grows to 29 Sick
The Washington Department of Health has issued another update in the ongoing E. coli outbreak linked to Chipotle restaurants in that state and in Oregon. In Washington, there are now 29 people sick in this outbreak. In Oregon, the case count remains at 12 for the moment, so there are now 41 people sickened. The Washington State Health Department is working with local, state, and several partners, including the CDC and FDA, on an investigation to discover the source of the pathogenic bacteria. Chipotle restaurants are under a voluntary closure at this time. Public health officials are working to establish criteria for the restaurants to reopen. In Washington, the case count by county is: Clark (12), Cowlitz (3), Island (2), King (6), Skagit (5), and Whatcom (1). Nearly all of the 29 … [Read more...]
Chipotle Addresses E. coli Outbreak, Hires Food Safety Consultants
As an E. coli outbreak linked to its stores in the Pacific Northwest unfolds, Chipotle has released a statement about its response and hired food safety consultants to help it avoid similar problems in the future. The E.coil outbreak, which has sickened 37 people in Washington and Oregon, comes just two months after a Salmonella outbreak linked to its Minnesota stores sickened 64 people. In a press release issued yesterday, Chipotle Mexican Grill listed the actions it has taken since the outbreak was discovered which include: closing all 43 restaurants in Oregon and Washington even though illnesses were only associated with eight of them, conducting environmental and food testing in its restaurants and distribution centers in addition to tests being conducted by health department … [Read more...]
Chipotle E. coli Case Count Grows to 25 in Washington
The Chipotle E.coli outbreak now includes 25 cases in Washington and has spread to a fifth county in that state. Six new cases have been added since the outbreak was first announced on October 31. There are also 12 cases in Oregon. The Washington State Department of Health is working with federal an local agencies on an investigation of the outbreak. They believe tainted produce may be behind the outbreak, but have not yet narrowed down the specific source. The case patients range in age from 5 to 60. Nine of them have been hospitalized. By county, the case count is as follows: Clark (11), Cowlitz (2), Island (2), King (6), and Skagit (4). Health officials urge anyone in Oregon or Washington who ate at a Chipotle between October 14 and October 23 and developed those symptoms to … [Read more...]
Chipotle E. Coli Outbreak Grows to 37 Sick in WA, OR, Lawsuit Filed
According to the Oregon Health Authority, the E. coli outbreak linked to Chipotle restaurants in that state and in Washington state has grown to include 37 people. There are now 12 people sick with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli in Oregon, an increase of 9 from the 3 cases first reported over the weekend. The case count in Washington has grown to 25. Three of those 12 people in Oregon have been hospitalized. No one has died in this outbreak. Those sickened live in Clackamas, Washington, Columbia, Benton, and Deschutes counties in Oregon, and in Clark, Cowlitz, Island, King, and Skagit counties in Washington state. Health officials in both states are asking that anyone who ate at a Chipotle restaurant in the month of October 2015, and has been experiencing vomiting and bloody diarrhea, to … [Read more...]
Chipotle E. coli O26 Outbreak Investigated by FDA, CDC
The FDA and the CDC have joined the investigation into the Chipotle E. coli outbreak that has sickened at least 22 people who ate at locations in Washington and Oregon. The illnesses have been associated with meals served between October 14 and October 23 at restaurants in four Washington counties and two Oregon counties. Eight people have been hospitalized. Chipotle has has temporarily closed all 43 locations in Oregon and Washington while federal, state and local health authorities search for the source. Health officials say produce items are among the suspects. That would include lettuce, onions, avocados, cilantro, onions, peppers and other ingredients in salsa. Produce is a common source of E. coli outbreaks. Contamination can happen in the growing fields or during … [Read more...]
