SEATTLE, Nov. 1 (UPI) — Chipotle temporarily closed 43 restaurants in Washington state and Oregon after dozens of diners were sickened with E.coli.
At least three diners in Oregon and 19 in Washington were sickened by the bacteriaafter eating at the restaurant between Oct. 14 and Oct. 23. Of those, seven in the Seattle area and one in the Portland, Oregon area were hospitalized.
“Anyone who thinks they may have become ill from eating at a Chipotle restaurant in the past three weeks should consult their healthcare provider,” Washington state Epidemiologist Dr. Scott Lindquist said. “The elderly and very young children are more likely to become severely ill from this kind of E. coli infection.”
Chipotle said it is closing the restaurants in the vicinity where the illnesses were reported. Spokesman Chris Arnold said the company is working with health departments in both states to determine the cause of the outbreak.
E. coli can cause bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramps, fever and vomiting and can be life-threatening in some cases.
