E. coli Outbreak in South Plainfield, NJ - Taco Bell Stays Shut

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Trenton: E. Coli Outbreak Reported

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: December 4, 2006

At least 15 people were sickened, 2 seriously, in the past two weeks by an E. coli outbreak in central New Jersey, officials said. “It’s a significant outbreak, and it’s a serious disease,” David A. Papi, the Middlesex County health director, said yesterday. Seven of the people were still hospitalized last night. Two had developed a serious condition called hemolytic uremic syndrome, which can cause kidney failure. All those sickened came from Middlesex, Monmouth and Somerset Counties; two were adults, while most of the others ranged from 7 to 14 years old, Mr. Papi said. Investigators yesterday evening were trying to determine the source of the infection.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/04/nyregion/04mbrfs-outbreak.html

Update on the story:

N.J. Taco Bell Stays Shut After E. coli Outbreak
By JOHN HOLUSHA
Published: December 4, 2006

Nineteen people in New Jersey have been sickened, two of them seriously, by E. coli infections, and a Taco Bell fast food restaurant in South Plainfield, N.J., remained closed today as health investigators sought the source of their illness.

Stephanie Brown, an epidemiologist for Middlesex County, where most of the victims live, told The Associated Press today that 5 of the 19 people known to have contracted E. coli infections were in the hospital, and 2 of the 5 had developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, which can be fatal or cause permanent damage to the kidneys.

Calls to the county’s public health department today seeking further information were not immediately returned; neither were calls to Taco Bell’s corporate headquarters in Irvine, Calif. The health department scheduled a mid-afternoon news conference to report on the status of the outbreak.

“It’s a significant outbreak and it’s a serious disease,” the Middlesex County Director of Health David Papi said on Sunday. “From a public health standpoint, we’re very concerned about this.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/04/nyregion/05tacocnd.html?ei=5094&en=9877e0c2a2817a2b&hp=&ex=1165294800&adxnnl=1&partner=homepage&adxnnlx=1165263025-G+/0YGJ7oofj6QEmubbb/w