“There have been no reported new cases in Washington or OR since Chipotle put its remediation plan into effect”.
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This comes mere weeks after the popular restaurant chain was linked to E. coli outbreaks in OR and Washington state.
The CDC said 96 percent of those sickened, 43 of 45, said they had eaten at the Mexican food chain. There have been no deaths.
The CDC said evidence suggests that an ingredient or “common meal item” served by Chipotle in several states was the source of the outbreak.
In a statement, Steve Ells, chairman and co-CEO of Chipotle, offered his “sincerest apologies to those who have been affected,”and said the the company is changing food preparation procedures, testing ingredients and conducting deep cleanings at restaurants linked to the outbreak”.
Just last week 43 locations in Washington and OR reopened after voluntarily closing out of an abundance of caution.
The company said it has had no reported new cases in Washington or OR since it took those precautions.
The agency has identified the particular strain of E. coli linked to the Chipotle outbreak as the Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli 026 (STEC 026), which results when E. coli bacteria produce toxins, and is among the most common types of the illness. The other states were OR at 13, California and Minnesota each at 2, and NY and OH each at 1.
News of the additional cases sent Chipotle shares down more than 12 percent, according to Reuters.
“At the moment, we do not believe that it is necessary to close any restaurants”, said Chris Arnold, spokesperson for Chipotle.
Symptoms of this strain of E. Coli include diarrhea, abdominal cramping, fever, nausea and vomiting. A total of 16 people have been hospitalized too due to the infections of E. coli germs. “Who supplied what product to these stores?”, added Marler.
“We closed all Chipotle restaurants in these markets out of an abundance of caution”, the company said on its website.
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Since the last update from the CDC, victims from California, New York, and OH have been confirmed, and it’s thought that this revelation could spark further people infected with E. coli to come forward.
