What's happening, Chipotle? After being linked to norovirus cases in Southern California last month, the popular fast food chain is again in the middle of another outbreak, this time Salmonella, in Minnesota.
In a news release on Thursday, Sept 10, the local health officials of the state announced they are currently investigating a Salmonella outbreak in a number of Chipotle restaurants.
Their report indicated that at least 45 people with ages between 15 and 67 had contracted Salmonella Newport. Most of the patients were male. The investigators had interviewed 34 of these patients, and all except 2 had dined in more than 15 Chipotle locations, many of which are found within Twin Cities. There's also one case in Rochester and another in St. Cloud. Further, these people had eaten in the restaurants between Aug 16 and Aug 26 but begun developing the symptoms from August 20 to 29.
Around 5 of these people had been hospitalized. However, the officials noted that about 560,000 people had dined in the restaurants within the period. Since some of the symptoms can be mild or confused with another illness, it's possible that there are more people who were incorrectly or not diagnosed. They are then calling on anyone who's exhibited the Salmonella symptoms to come forward.
The state's health department is also working closely with the agriculture department to analyze the produce found in the restaurants to determine the possible cause of the outbreak. The restaurants, on the other hand, has already changed their produce and are said to be taking the necessary safety precautions to avoid more cases.
This outbreak is different from Salmonella cases that have been reported in more than 25 states, including Minnesota. It's caused by cucumbers grown in Mexico and distributed in the United States by a San Diego company, Andrew & Williamson. Although the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), local health agencies, and the company have already issued a recall, at least two people had already died and one has filed a lawsuit.
