Over the last weekend, the Chipotle chain shut down 43 restaurants in Washington State and Oregon after Oregon Health Authority (OHA) started investigating an outbreak among people who became ill with Shiga toxin E. coli after eating at Chipotle restaurants, the New York Times reported.
OHA said that as of October 31, there were three cases in Oregon and at least 19 in Washington. One third of cases have been hospitalized; there have been no deaths. Ages range from 11-64 years.
“Health officials want people who have eaten at a Chipotle between October 14 and 23, and become ill with vomiting and bloody diarrhea, to see their health care provider and mention this outbreak”, OHA said.
E. coli (Escherichia coli) bacteria live in the digestive tracts of humans and animals. There are many types of E. coli, and most of them are harmless. But some can cause bloody diarrhea. Some strains of E. coli bacteria may also cause severe anaemia or kidney failure, which can lead to death.
OHA said as many people affected with Shiga toxin E. coli may not seek health care, so the number of affected people is likely more than identified.
Chipotle released the following statement Saturday, reported by KGW, and said all stores near where the illnesses were reported were temporarily closed:
"The safety and wellbeing of our customers is always our highest priority. After being notified by health department officials in the Seattle and Portland, Ore. areas that they were investigating approximately 20 cases of E. coli, including people who ate at six of our restaurants in those areas, we immediately closed all of our restaurants in the area out of an abundance of caution, even though the vast majority of these restaurants have no reported problems. We are working with health department officials to determine the cause of this issue. We offer our deepest sympathies to those who have been affected by this situation."
