December 6, 2006

Nassau County Investigating 29 Cases of Possible E. Coli 0157:H7
Linked to Eating at Taco Bell

The Nassau County Department of Health has received reports of 29 Nassau County residents who have became ill after eating at Taco Bell restaurants, including three people with cases of E. coli – two whom have been hospitalized.

The health department received a report of a fourth unconfirmed case of an individual who ate at a Taco Bell out of state and who also has been hospitalized. In an additional case, a 16-year-old boy has been identified as having contracted E. coli 0157:H7 but he was not hospitalized.

The county is also investigating 25 additional cases of residents who reported experiencing diarrhea after eating at a Taco Bell.

The county this morning added two Taco Bell locations to the list of restaurants that it has asked to temporarily close and dispose of its food. A total of six Taco Bell restaurants within the county have been asked to voluntarily close down, discard their food and disinfect their premises. Five complied within a timely fashion, but a sixth, in Seaford, initially resisted the temporary shut-down this morning. After the county health department today contacted Taco Bell’s corporate headquarters, the Seaford restaurant complied at about 1 pm today.

“We are taking every possible step to protect and inform the public as quickly as information becomes available,” said Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi. “The county’s health department has been inspecting the Taco Bell locations suspected of being involved in this outbreak and are making sure the proper procedures are being followed before they reopen.”

Dr. Abby Greenberg, the county’s director of disease control, said the county health department is contacting each Taco Bell in Nassau to ensure that they have disposed of green onions that Taco Bell officials say are the suspected cause of the outbreak.

The details on the hospitalized patients include:

One patient, a 12-year-old boy, became ill and was hospitalized on November 24th, discharged on the 26th and was readmitted on November 29th. The boy had eaten at two Taco Bells, one in East Meadow, the other in Hempstead.

A second patient, a 54-year-old woman, ate at the Seaford Taco Bell and was diagnosed with hemolytic uremic syndrome, which is associated with E. coli 0157:H7 infection. She remains hospitalized.

And a third patient, a Nassau County resident who ate at Taco Bell in Florida, was hospitalized for severe diarrhea. At this time, her case has not been confirmed as E. coli 0157:H7 infection.

At the county’s request, Taco Bell closed four restaurants on Monday  – in Roosevelt Field Mall in Garden City, in the Broadway Mall in Hicksville, at 1634 Front St. in East Meadow and at 490 Peninsula Blvd. in Hempstead – in order to discard all the food and disinfect the premises. The county has cleared those restaurants to reopen.

The county this morning requested that Taco Bell close two additional outlets – at 3950 Sunrise Highway in Seaford, and 1650 Jericho Turnpike in New Hyde Park – after additional possible cases were reported in association with these sites. The county requested that these locations also discard their food and disinfect their premises.

Six people who ate at the New Hyde Park location within a two-day period reported gastro-intestinal problems. At this time, none of these cases are confirmed E. coli 0157:H7 infections.

Additionally, County health inspectors are also investigating the Taco Bell in Oceanside, but have not yet requested that it be closed.

The county is asking for the public’s help in this matter. Anyone who has come down with symptoms (see below) on or after Nov. 15, and who ate at a Taco Bell during the previous week, should call the county Department of Health at (516) 571-3680.

E. coli 0157:H7 is a leading cause of foodborne illness and is often characterized by bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramps and little or no fever. People become infected in a variety of ways, especially by eating undercooked ground beef or contaminated fresh vegetables. Symptoms usually appear about three days after exposure, but can emerge anywhere from one to nine days.

Most people recover without specific treatment in five to ten days. However, young children and the elderly may be at increased risk of developing hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS, a serious condition characterized by red blood cell destruction and kidney failure, that can result in death. Those who may be experiencing any symptoms of E. coli 0157:H7 infection should immediately seek medical care.