A dozen of the 35 confirmed cases involving Chipotle were in Oregon and the remainder were in Washington state, state officials said.
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People who say they’ve been sickened by E. coli after eating at Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurants in Oregon and Washington have retained a high-profile, Seattle-based attorney.
Chipotle has closed at least 14 stores in the Portland area so officials can investigate, and another 29 through out the rest of the Pacific Northwest.
Epidemiologists are testing samples of human waste and any E. coli found in food samples, looking for DNA matches.
Lindquist says officials may know by Wednesday what type of food tests positive for the same microorganism. In addition, officials confirmed that most ate at Chipotles.
She also said anyone with bloody diarrhea should go to the doctor whether they have eaten at Chipotle or not.
‘We’re really relying on working closely with Chipotle, ‘ said Dr. Katrina Hedberg, Oregon state epidemiologist. “If something doesn’t feel right or taste right return it”, says Reszetar. Health officials’ early investigations revealed the outbreak was caused by tainted produce.
He went to the emergency room at Legacy Meridian Park Medical Center in Tualatin five days later after suffering flu-like symptoms that advanced to abdominal cramps and bloody diarrhea.
The sign is seen outside the Chipotle restaurant, on the day that the company announced it will only use non-GMO ingredients in its food on April 27, 2015 in Miami, Florida. Two people among the 22 cases have told health officials they do not believe they ate at a Chipotle restaurant.
Health officials suspect the outbreak is caused by fresh food products – such as lettuce, tomatoes, fresh salsa or cilantro – because those who have gotten ill have eaten a variety of meat and vegetarian products, Hedberg said.
Oregon’s 12 cases – up from three cases reported October 31 – are linked to eating at Chipotle restaurants in the Portland metro area.
People in Clackamas and Washington counties in Oregon have also reported symptoms, the authorities there said. Seventeen of those affected said they have been to the Mexican fast food chain within the past few weeks, eight of whom were taken to the hospital for treatment, the ABC News reported. But according to Chris Arnold, the spokesperson for Chipotle, the company has made a decision to close more than 40 of its restaurants in the affected states for safety reasons. In California, health workers said norovirus sickened almost 100 customers and employees at a Chipotle restaurant in Simi Valley in mid-August.
Since then, investigators have identified the specific strain of E. coli involved.
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Chipotle released the following statement Saturday and said all stores near where the illnesses were reported were temporarily closed.
