Posted on 12/04/2006 5:50:10 PM PST by SkyPilot
Number Of Confirmed Cases In N.Y., N.J. Reaches 39
Source Of Bacteria Undetermined, But Food Products Sent To Labs For Testing
(CBS/AP) TRENTON, N.J. At least 14 people in two counties on Long Island have been affected by the recent E. coli outbreak that was first reported in central New Jersey. Officials say three people in Nassau County and 11 people in Suffolk County are being treated in the outbreak, though there is no confirmation yet as to whether the outbreak in New Jersey and the one in New York are related.
Eight Taco Bell restaurants on Long Island have temporarily shut down as part of the investigation -- four from each county. The restaurants closed voluntarily after their respective counties asked them to do so.
The four restaurants shut down in Nassau County include: 1 Broadway Mall, Hicksville; Penninsula Blvd, Hempstead; Front St, East Meadow; Roosevelt Field Mall.
CBS 2 has learned an 11-year-old boy ate at both the East Meadow and Hempstead locations and has been in the hospital for a week. According to the Nassau County Health Commissioner, none of the Nassau cases have been linked to the fatal 0157 strain, but the tests are still early.
The four Taco Bell restaurants temporarily shut down in Suffolk County include: Taco Bell at 174 Medford Ave in Patchogue; 1937 Deer Park Ave, Deer Park; 4349 Nesconset Hwy, Port Jefferson Station; 185 Old Country Rd, Riverhead.
Officials are still investigating the food distribution to see if that is the common thread, and Dr. David Graham, acting commisioner of the Suffolk Co. Health Services, says nine of the cases from that county have eaten at a Taco Bell restaurant recently.
Health officials are now looking to determine exactly whether a vegetable or beef product could be the source of the bacteria.
"This is what we call an epidemiologic link, that is we have sick patients, confirmed laboratory tests in the patients, and then by doing detailed food histories, we connect specific restaurants," Graham said. "We do not have any documentation of any food that has the organism presently, but those foods have been embargoed and have been submitted to the laboratory for further analysis."
Taco Bell President Greg Creed has issued the following statement regarding the investigation:
"As soon as we learned of an E.coli issue, we immediately began working with state and county health officials to assist in their investigation. As a precautionary measure, we voluntarily closed one restaurant in Middlesex County, New Jersey, and four in Suffolk County, New York.
"As an extra precaution, we are in the process of sanitizing these isolated restaurants and replacing all the food ingredients before reopening these five restaurants. We are unsure what has occurred, but health officials have indicated that there is no immediate threat and whatever may have occurred has most likely passed through the system since there have been no new cases since November 29.
"Nothing is more important to us than the health and safety of our customers and employees. We are obviously very concerned about the well-being of all those who have been affected by this incident and will continue to work closely with health authorities to get to the root cause of the issue.”
Both officials and residents alike now wonder whether the bacteria is limited to those restaurants already shut down, or if other area Taco Bells are affected as well.
"Right now in Suffolk County, it's very limited to those eating in restaurants that we identified between November 20 and 25. Fortunately we have not seen any cases after that date, and that's a good sign that we don't see any secondary cases," Graham told CBS 2.
Of the Long Island cases, nine patients are between the ages 11-27, and two are in their 60s. Eight of the victims have already been released from the hospital, while three remain seriously ill.
The outbreak, which that has sickened at least 22 people -- two of them seriously -- was linked by health investigators Monday to three Taco Bell restaurants in New Jersey. It was not immediately clear if the New Jersey outbreak was linked to the one in Long Island.
All but two of the people who fell ill in New Jersey had eaten at one of the fast-food restaurants between Nov. 17 and Nov. 28, authorities said. But exactly what food contained the bacteria was still unclear.
"We have to find the food they all had in common," said David Papi, director of health for Middlesex County.
All but four of the victims are under 18, authorities said.
Five were in the hospital Monday, including A 10-year-old boy and a 5-year-old girl who were diagnosed with hemolytic uremic syndrome, which can permanently damage the kidneys, officials said. The boy was still in serious condition, while the girl's status had improved to stable, said Stephanie Brown, the Middlesex County epidemiologist.
Twenty of those infected, including two restaurant employees who tested positive for E. coli but did not get sick, ate at a Taco Bell in South Plainfield; another ate at a Taco Bell in Edison, and one ate at a Taco Bell in Franklin Township, authorities said.
The fast food chain closed its South Plainfield restaurant last week when it first appeared that the infection might have come from there. It was not until Monday that suspicion fell on two more Taco Bells in New Jersey and that news of the Suffolk County closures became widely known. Creed did not specify when the New York Taco Bells were closed.
At a news conference Monday, New Jersey health officials said they were not aware of the Long Island E. coli infections, but said they were working closely with officials in neighboring states as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
State health officials also gave slightly differing numbers regarding how many people were infected and over what time period. According to Deputy State Epidemiologist Christina Tan, officials were investigating 37 cases, 25 of which were confirmed E. coli cases. Officials also said they could trace 20 of the cases back to one of three Taco Bells. The infections were reported Nov. 20-29, they said.
New Jersey Health and Senior Services Commissioner Fred M. Jacobs on Monday described the E. coli infections as "a serious outbreak," but said the threat seemed to have passed.
"There has not been an outbreak since Nov. 29, so I think that whatever happened went through already," Jacobs said.
E. coli, or Escherichia coli, is a common and ordinarily harmless bacteria the feces of humans and livestock, but certain strains can cause abdominal cramps, fever, bloody diarrhea, kidney failure, blindness, paralysis, even death.
Most E. coli infections are associated with undercooked meat. The bacteria also can be found on sprouts or leafy vegetables such as spinach. Earlier this year, three people died and more than 200 fell ill from an outbreak that was traced to packaged spinach grown in California. The bacteria also can be passed from person to person if they do not thoroughly wash their hands after going to the bathroom.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the dangerous E. coli strain 0157:H7 infects about 73,000 Americans a year and kills 61.
Symptoms usually show up three to four days after a person eats contaminated food, although in some cases it can be as long as eight days. Officials said anyone having symptoms should immediately contact their health care provider.
Every time I've ever eaten there I think I'm going to die.
At one time or another, I've been to three of those.
Glad we weren't out there last weekend!
They had a show on Discovery Channel not too long ago about a kid who contracted E. Coli by eating raw hamburger during a Boy Scout outing.
It almost killed the poor boy. He lost several inches of his intestine to the bacteria. You cannot believe how destructive this stuff is.
best to get on the 2 hour line for cheesecake factory - with the rest of us out here!
It's a good thing Taco Bell doesn't sell beer.
I really like Taco Bell, but I'll give them a rest for awhile.
The thought of e. coli scares the S#!% out of me!
That depends: is urine "organic?"
"The bacteria also can be passed from person to person if they do not thoroughly wash their hands after going to the bathroom."
Mmmm, that's just so damn appetizing.
I did not know a visit to the Cheesecake Factory made one immune to disease.
I don't eat at either restaurant, but your post smacks of arrogance, which is also insidious.
It was the Chihuahua....
I will say it again, all people on FR probably wish I would go away. Cook at home! You will be healthier. Unless your cookins' bad!
You know, I don't even recall seeing EColi on the menu? How much does a serving cost?
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