Chipotle E. Coli Outbreak Widens In Washington And Orgeon

In the meantime, health officials in Washington state and Oregon have been interviewing people confirmed to have contracted E.coli to find out what they had eaten.

However, state health officials have only confirmed three cases of diners being sickened by E. coli, so far.

Chipotle has shut down all of its restaurants in the cities of Portland and Seattle after receiving reports of E. coli infection cases from health officials.

The Medford location was not affected.

Dr. Katrina Hedberg, State Health Officer, says, “people who have gotten sick have eaten both beef, chicken, as well as the tofu or vegetarian entrees so it doesn’t look like it’s likely a meat product”.

During a call with reporters on Tuesday to discuss the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s new Vital Signs issue on food safety, CDC Director Tom Frieden said there isn’t much new information to report on the E. coli outbreak because “the investigation is really just starting now”.

“Anyone who thinks they may have become ill from eating at a Chipotle restaurant in the past three weeks should consult their healthcare provider”, said state epidemiologist Dr. Scott Lindquist said in the media release. “We don’t yet know of a vehicle – what food caused it”, or whether all of the reported infections are even related to each other.

The investigation began with talking to Arrellano and all the others who have been diagnosed with E. coli.

On the heels of an E. coli incident that was linked to eight of its restaurants in Oregon and Washington state, Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) has taken a number of immediate steps to assist investigators as they conduct their review of the incident in Oregon and Washington. The Associated Press reports 37 people have fallen ill in Oregon and Washington, up from the previous report of 22.

A Washington woman who says she was infected with E.coli after eating a Chipotle burrito bowl filed a lawsuit in federal court Monday.

Lindquist says he’s keeping an open mind about the reach of the outbreak but is hopeful officials have stopped the spread of the illness by closing Chipotle restaurants in Washington state and the Portland, Oregon, area. Health officials in Washington state updated their outbreak details November 3, indicating six more illnesses since Halloween, bringing the state’s total to 25. Most are harmless, but a few can cause serious problems.

Microbiologist Michigan Kang works to identify a strain of E. coli from a…

Chipotle’s shares closed down 0.1 percent at $623.16 on Tuesday.

For now Chipotle will remained closed until further notice.

“The safety and well-being of our customers is always our highest priority”, said Arnold, the communications director.

Health Department officials are also conducting environmental testing and food testing at its restaurants and distribution centers.

Andrew Charles, an analyst at Cowen and Co, said the company is going to experience a tough time due to the closed restaurants.