E. Coli Sickens 36 in New Jersey, Long Island; Some Cases Linked
to Taco Bell
By BETH DEFALCO
Associated Press Writer
(AP) 09:41:50 PM (ET), Monday, December 4, 2006 (SOUTH
PLAINFIELD, N.J.)
An E. coli outbreak 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. Investigators also were examining whether
an
outbreak of 14 cases on Long Island was connected to the fast-food chain.
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.
"We have to find the food they all had in common," said David
Papi, director of health for Middle*** County.
Five of the New Jersey victims were in the hospital Monday,
including two in serious or critical condition with hemolytic uremic
syndrome, which can permanently damage the kidneys, officials said.
Twenty-two of those infected in New Jersey, 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 Town****p, authorities said.
In Long Island, an E. coli outbreak sickened at least 14
people,
including 10 who ate at Taco Bell. Health officials said eight restaurants
in Suffolk and Nassau Counties were closed as a precaution. In New Jersey,
the South Plainfield restaurant was closed.
Greg Creed, the president of Irvine, Calif.-based Taco Bell
Corp, said the company was sanitizing the restaurants and replacing the
food
ingredients before reopening, he said.
"Nothing is more im****tant to us than the health and safety of
our customers and employees," Creed said in a statement. "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."
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,
said Stephanie Brown, an epidemiologist for Middle*** County.
"If they are having symptoms, then the most im****tant thing
they
need to do is contact their health care provider," Brown said.
___
Associated Press writers Rebecca Santana in Trenton and Frank
Eltman in Garden City, N.Y., contributed to this re****t.
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