Chipotle Shuts Down 43 Restaurants In Washington And Oregon After E-coli Outbreak

Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc has closed 43 of its restaurants in Oregon and Washington due to a reported outbreak of E. coli bacteria.

Three people from Portland area and 19 people in Western Washington with ages ranging from 11 to 64 have become sick from E.coli. Although no deaths have occurred, eight of the cases have resulted in hospitalization. The health officials of the state are investigating the exact source of the infection.

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‘E.coli bacteria lives in the human gut. Most strains of E.coli are harmless, but some can cause serious symptoms and could even be life-threatening.’

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Chipotle's company spokesperson, Chris Arnold, said that the outbreak has been tied to just six of the company's restaurants in the area, but they closed a total of 43 restaurants just to be safe.

"The safety and wellbeing of our customers is always our highest priority. After being notified by health department officials in the Seattle and Portland, Oregon, 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,” said Arnold.

"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," he added.

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“A total of 43 local Chipotle restaurants have been closed. The reopening schedule will be driven by progress of the investigation," said Arnold.

E.coli is among the vast array of bacteria that live in the human gut. Most strains of E-coli are harmless, but some can cause symptoms like diarrhea, respiratory illness, pneumonia, urinary tract infection.

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Dr. Scott Lindquist, State Epidemiologist, said in a statement, "Anyone who thinks they may have become ill from eating at a Chipotle restaurant in the past three weeks should consult their healthcare provider. The elderly and very young children are more likely to become severely ill from this kind of E. coli infection."

Source-Medindia

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