Coli Outbreak Affected Six States

Forty-five people infected with the outbreak strain of STEC O26 have been reported from 6 states.

It’s a sad day for lovers of burritos, but additional cases of E.coli infections have been traced to Chipotle restaurants in NY, California, Minnesota and Ohio.

The first cases were reported in Washington and OR late last month before illnesses were more recently reported in Minnesota, according to a report from the Associated Press.

Among people for whom information is available, illnesses started on dates ranging from October 19, 2015 to November 8, 2015. Fifty-eight percent of ill people are female.

An outbreak of E. coli linked to Chipotle has expanded to six states. The CDC said 16 people have been hospitalized but no deaths have been reported.

Federal health officials said a menu item or ingredient at Chipotle is the likely source of the outbreak, but have not yet determined which food is linked.

The FDA is now working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state and local officials to locate the exact food that caused the outbreak.

Chipotle spokesman Chris Arnold told the Post that no restaurants will be closed as a result of the new infections and that the company has taken measures like deep cleaning restaurants, replacing ingredients, and providing supply chain data to investigators.