Chipotle-linked E. coli hasn’t hit locally

Rising concerns about the Chipotle E. coli outbreak making its way into Ohio, haven’t yet made an impact on these college students.

“I love Chipotle, it’s my favorite restaurant,” said University of Dayton senior Elizabeth Canning, who ate at Chipotle two days ago, and said she would eat there again today.

UD senior Maggie Doslak said she wasn’t really concerned about the E. coli spreading to the Buckeye State.

“If it affected this one here (on Brown Street) or the one I go to in Oakwood, then I would maybe be a little more hesitant about it, but if it doesn’t, I will continue eating there, definitely,” Doslak said.

E. coli linked to Chipotle has sickened three people in Ohio for a total of 52 illnesses in nine states.

“There have not been any cases in southwest Ohio,” said Jennifer Wentzel, director of environmental health at Public Health Dayton/Montgomery County.

E. coli is a common food-borne illness transmitted by fecal matter on food and in water. Symptoms can be mild to severe depending on the strain.

You should call your doctor if you have diarrhea, bloody diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea and a low-grade fever.

To prevent E. coli at home you need to wash your hands, produce, utensils and cook meat to the proper temperature, according to Wentzel.

The first cases of E. coli linked to Chipotle were reported at the end of October, and the most recent illness started mid-November.

Chipotle shut down dozens of stores in the Pacific Northwest when the illnesses were first reported.

The fast food chain said it is conducting DNA-based testing of ingredients and enhancing food handling training for employees.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has yet to determine which ingredient, or ingredients, are causing the illnesses.

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