37 E. coli cases in Northwest linked to Chipotle outbreak
KGW Staff and USA TODAY-November 3, 2015
PORTLAND, Ore. -- Health officials say Oregon has 12 confirmed cases of E. coli amid an outbreak tied to Chipotle restaurants in the Northwest, an increase from the three cases reported earlier.
Dr. Katrina Hedberg, Oregon state epidemiologist, says three people were hospitalized in Oregon, but all have been treated and released. She says eight of the 12 patients have been interviewed and had eaten at the chain. The majority of the illnesses were in the Portland area.
Oregon is working closely with Washington state to identify the cause of the outbreak, which also has sickened at least 25 people in Washington.
Food from eight Chipotle stores connected with the outbreak is being tested. The chain of casual Mexican restaurants has closed 43 restaurants in the two states. The outbreak was likely caused by contaminated produce, said Jonathan Modie with Oregon Public Health.
"We are looking at everything but our epidemiology investigation is guiding us toward produce," Modie said. "Chipotle has meat products, but based on things we heard from people who got sick...it seems like the most common denominator is some kind of vegetable course."
Health officials expect the number of people sickened to grow while they investigate the cause of the infection.
Eight people in Oregon and Washington have been hospitalized but no deaths have been reported. A Kelso, Wash. woman was among those hospitalized and filed a lawsuit over her pain and medical costs.
As news of the outbreak continues to spread, more people will probably join the list of potential cases, said Marisa D'Angeli, medical epidemiologist with the Washington State Department of Health.
D'Angeli encouraged anyone who has been sick with intestinal symptoms and has eaten at Chipotle since mid-October, to go see their doctor and get tested. She also said anyone with bloody diarrhea should go to the doctor whether they have eaten at Chipotle or not.
Everyone who comes forward helps in providing extra clues that could help identify the source of the infection, she said.
Ashley Arellano, of Gladstone, was stunned when she got the diagnosis. "She said that it was E. coli and I was in shock because I had never had E. coli.”
Arellano became sick after eating at the Chipotle in Clackamas Town Center. “My body was in aches, and pains. I was nauseous, I couldn’t hold anything down. I couldn’t eat anything,” she said.
The investigation
The investigation began with talking to Arrellano and all the others who have been diagnosed with E. coli. Investigators needed to know exactly what they ate and where. Test samples from each individual will go to state labs in Washington and Oregon. Then, samples of food from the restaurants will be tested at a U.S. Food and Drug Administration laboratory to see if bacteria from the food matches the human cases.
The source of the E. coli was most likely a fresh food product, D'Angeli said, because it probably could not be traced to one sick individual or one instance of cross-contamination of food since the cases are connected with so many restaurants.
D'Angeli noted that Chipotle has been cooperative and voluntarily shut down all its restaurants in the two states.
The reopening of the 43 Chipotle restaurants in Oregon and Washington will be dictated by the investigation, said company spokesman Chris Arnold. "Right now, that is the priority," he said.
The company has not made plans to close any other restaurants in other states as there is no evidence of a link to other restaurants, Arnold added.
Company stock impacted
Before U.S. markets opened Monday, shares of Chipotle tumbled more than 5 percent to levels not seen in about three months.
People have reported symptoms of infection in Clackamas and Washington counties in Oregon, and Clark, King, Skagit and Cowlitz counties in Washington. Symptoms of E. coli infection include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea and vomiting. Health officials say the best defense against the bacterial illness is to thoroughly wash hands with soap and water. There are hundreds of E. coli and similar bacteria strains in the intestines of humans. Most are harmless, but a few can cause serious problems.
Chipotle released the following statement Saturday 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."
The outbreak came as Chipotle wanted to be making headlines for a different reason: the Chipotle Boorito Halloween challenge, in which costumers can get a burrito for $3 if they come to any Chipotle across the USA wearing a costume with an unnecessary accessory. The event was intended to raise awareness of food additives.
Customers confused
On Friday, confused customers were left looking for another place to grab dinner after Chipotle locations mysteriously closed.
“I just got done working out,” said Brendan Price. “Was going to grab something to eat and it’s not happening.”
Price was shocked to find the doors locked at a Chipotle in Northwest Portland. Others found themselves out of luck at the Chipotle on the PSU campus.
“Kind of a bummer,” said Liana Walters. “We’ll get Thai food.”
“We’re sorry for the inconvenience and sincerely hope that you’ll enjoy the day no matter what you may be observing,” read the sign posted at the PSU Chipotle.
“Don’t panic … due to an equipment issue we are unable to open at this time … order should be restored to the universe in the very near future,” read the sign posted at the Chipotle in Northwest Portland.
