Coli outbreak linked to Chipotle

Federal officials have again changed their description of dozens of E. coli infections, now saying 45 sick people in six states are all part of one outbreak linked to Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurants. Previous cases were also reported in Minnesota, along with those in Washington and Oregon. The CDC cautioned the number of people sickened by the outbreak could increase because there could be cases that have yet to be reported or confirmed. In its report on Friday, however, the CDC noted that a second person in Burnsville, Minnesota, who ate at the popular burrito chain was infected with E. coli. There have been no deaths.

Health officials have not yet determined which food ingredient is causing the illnesses.

In response to the original outbreak, Chipotle closed 43 restaurants in OR and Washington in late October. By state the case count is as follows: California (2), Minnesota (2), NY (1), OH (1), OR (13), and Washington (26).

No one has died from the outbreak so far, but 16 people have been hospitalized.

On its website, Chipotle explains that those who are affected by the outbreak can contact the chain’s claims team and the team will get back to them quickly.

After the outbreak of the disease was originally announced at the start of November, it was suggested that the problem had only infected people in three states.

Just last week 43 locations in Washington and OR reopened after voluntarily closing out of an abundance of caution.

It was not immediately clear whether the outbreak is contained to Chipotles, or if contaminated food may have been supplied to other restaurants as well. “We are committed to taking any and all necessary actions to make sure our food is as safe as possible and we are working diligently with health agencies”. “We offer our deepest sympathies to those who have been affected by this situation, and will continue to cooperate with health authorities as they look to conclude the investigation”.

The company is also expanding testing for meat, dairy and produce and re-examining food safety procedures. However, a few E. coli are pathogenic, meaning they can cause illness, either diarrhea or illness outside of the intestinal tract.