Chipotle closes 43 restaurants in Washington and Oregon following a possible link with E. coli outbreak.
According to an official statement released by the Washington State Health Department, the famous Mexican grill that serves non-GMO menu like burritos is currently tied to at least 22 reported cases of E. coli infection, of which 19 were in Washington and three in Oregon. Eight patients all together had already been hospitalized, although there has not been any reported death.
Nevertheless, the health officials of both states expect that reports would increase now that they have already issued a statement and Chipotle had taken a proactive step. Currently, they are working with the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration to find which of the products may have been contaminated to cause the outbreak. They have already sent samples of various food products to labs for analysis.
A person's intestine can contain different strains of E. coli. While many of them do not cause any problem, some can lead to severe or life-threatening symptoms including abdominal cramps, diarrhea, bloodied stool, and vomiting. It is especially dangerous for the elderly, children, and people with an already compromised immune system.
Washington state encourages anyone who displays these symptoms over the last three weeks must seek medical help.
As for Chipotle, shutting down the restaurants during the investigation is a sign of their commitment to place their customers' health and well-being as a priority. When they will resume operations depends on the outcome of the investigation, although restaurants in other states will remain open since there are no reported E. coli cases there.
This isn't the first time Chipotle hogged the headlines due to an outbreak this year. Back in August, a Southern California Chipotle was linked to a norovirus outbreak that infected at least 15 people, including some of its employees. Later, restaurants in Minnesota were investigated for Salmonella Newport outbreak.
