Green Onions at Nassau County Taco Bell Test Positive for E. Coli

Mineola, N.Y. - The Nassau County Department of Health reports that green onions collected from a Taco Bell in Hempstead have tested positive for E. coli 0157:H7.

The Department of Health has received reports of 53 Nassau County residents who became ill after eating at Taco Bell restaurants. These include three people with cases of E. coli - two of which were hospitalized.

The remaining 50 unconfirmed cases continue to be investigated. Residents experiencing symptoms (see below*) are urged to see their doctor in order to be tested for E. coli.

Sixteen Taco Bells in Nassau County have been associated with ill individuals. Five of these 16 Taco Bells are associated with E. coli cases from either Nassau or Suffolk Counties.

A total of six Taco Bell restaurants within Nassau County were asked to close down, discard their food and disinfect their premises. Additionally, Taco Bell has committed to testing employees for E. coli. The restaurants that fail to test employees are subject to closure by the county.

Taco Bell had announced Wednesday that it would order the removal of all green onions as a precautionary measure after its restaurants in three states were linked to E. coli infections. County health inspectors ensured that the onions were in fact removed, and took samples for testing.

“We are taking every possible step to protect and inform the public as quickly as information becomes available,” said Nassau County Executive Thomas R. Suozzi.

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. He was released from the hospital yesterday.

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.

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, and she was released from the hospital yesterday.

In an additional case, a 16-year-old boy has been identified as having contracted E. coli 0157:H7 but he was not hospitalized.

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 Wednesday 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. These locations have discarded their food and disinfected 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.

The county is asking for the public’s help in this matter. Anyone who has come down with symptoms 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.

“We are continuing to work closely with the New York State Department of Health, the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control, Suffolk County and Taco Bell to closely monitor the situation,” Suozzi said.

Nationally, as of 1 p.m. yesterday (Thurs., Dec. 7), 58 probable cases of E. Coli 0157:H7 associated with this outbreak have been reported to the CDC from six states: New York (19), New Jersey (28), Pennsylvania (8), Delaware (1), South Carolina (1) and Utah (1). Among the ill persons 48 (83%) were hospitalized and 7 (12%) developed HUS. Illness onset dates for these probable cases range from Nov. 20 to Dec. 2.

Below is a list of the 14 Nassau County Taco Bell locations and 2 other sites associated with the ill individuals:

490 PENINSULA BLVD., HEMPSTEAD: 3 (2 cases and 1 suspect)
1634 FRONT ST., EAST MEADOW: 4 ( 1 case and 3 suspects)
3950 SUNRISE HWY., SEAFORD: 2 (1 case and 1 suspect)
1709 MERRICK ROAD, MERRICK: 3 suspects
BROADWAY MALL, HICKSVILLE: 4 (3 suspects and 1 Suffolk County case)
638 SOUTH OYSTER BAY ROAD, HICKSVILLE: 2 suspects
11 OLD COUNTRY ROAD, HICKSVILLE: 1 suspect
1650 JERICHO TPKE., NEW HYDE PARK: 6 (5 suspects and 1 NYC suspect)
3076 LONG BEACH ROAD, OCEANSIDE: 1 suspect
555 LONG BEACH BLVD., LONG BEACH: 1 suspect
570 SUNRISE HWY., ROCKVILLE CENTRE: 1 suspect
3946 HEMPSTEAD TPKE., LEVITTOWN: 2 suspects
547 MERRICK ROAD, LYNBROOK: 1 suspect
ROOSEVELT FIELD MALL, GARDEN CITY: 1 Suffolk County case (the same case as Broadway Mall)

Green Onions at Nassau County Taco Bell Test Positive for E. Coli 0157:H7