Hours after Chipotle said it was bracing for additional illnesses to be linked to an ongoing E. coli outbreak, health officials confirmed that the contamination now spans nine states — three more than previously reported.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Friday that one illness in each Pennsylvania, Maryland and Illinois have been added to the ongoing investigation.
In addition to the new illnesses in these states, investigators say four people have reported becoming sick. Those consumers are located in Ohio (2), Washington (1), and California (1).
“Among people for whom information is available, illnesses started on dates ranging from Oct. 19, 2015 to Nov.13, 2015,” the CDC says. “Of the three most recent illnesses reported.. only one ill person reported eating at Chipotle Mexican Grill in the week before their illness began.”
To date, 47 of 52 people interviewed about their illness reported eating at a Chipotle restaurant in the week before they got sick.
The CDC warns that even more illnesses could be added to the outbreak list, as those that occurred after Nov. 11 might not be reported yet due to the time it takes between when person becomes ill and when the illness is reported — which can take an average of two to three weeks.
“CDC and state and local public health partners are continuing laboratory surveillance through PulseNet to identify additional ill people and to interview them,” the agency says.
by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist