Chipotle: Norovirus likely sickened Boston students

“Yes, we believe it is a norovirus linked to only one restaurant, a sentiment shared by local health officials”, Chipotle officials said in a statement.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said late last week the outbreak of E. coli tied to Chipotle has sickened 52 people in nine states so far.

Chipotle Communications Director Chris Arnold told Patch Monday night that there is “no evidence to suggest this is E.coli” in Boston, and referred to a company statement. He noted Chipotle has no confirmation, but that the company hopes to have more information later Tuesday.

Chipotle said on Monday it had temporarily closed its restaurant in Boston’s Cleveland Circle, where a Boston College spokesman said all the students said they had eaten, while it worked with local health officials to investigate the illnesses.

The Massachusetts Department of Health has been notified and is working to determine the cause of the apparent gastrointestinal illness.

Noroviruses are more common than E. coli and easily transmitted through person-to-person contact, contaminated surface areas, and through food and drink.

Massachusetts Department of Public Health spokesman Scott Zoback said, “We can confirm that there have been reports of gastrointestinal illness among Boston College students”. It is very contagious and can spread quickly in places such as daycare centers and cruise ships.

About 48 million people get sick from a foodborne illness each year, according to the CDC.

Symptoms, which include diarrhea and abdominal pain, usually begin two to eight days after a person has been exposed to the bacteria and resolve within a week. The first cases were reported at the end of October in OR and Washington, and the most recent illness began on November 13.

Executives said the chain may eventually raise prices to make up for its investments in improving food safety.

Chipotle shares slipped by 6.4 percent on Monday, and are still taking a beating in the stock market, having fallen another 2.31 percent to $540.92 as of 2:38 p.m. The company also expects to suffer its first quarterly decline in sales since going public in 2006.

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