Public health officials said Monday that the Chipotle location in the busy shopping area of Montrose in Copley Township — not the store near the University of Akron — is where a Cuyahoga County resident potentially contracted E. coli.
Denver-headquartered Chipotle on Friday said an outbreak of E. coli, initially limited to restaurants in Oregon and Washington state, now involves cases in six states, including Ohio.
Monday, it was unclear why Chipotle on its website Friday identified the East Exchange Street location as being linked — along with 16 others — to the outbreak. All of the locations remain open.
Chipotle spokesman Chris Anderson said in an email that he would look into the matter and had not provided the Beacon Journal information by late Monday.
State and local health officials said Monday that the Cuyahoga resident told a state health interviewer earlier this month that he had eaten food from the 3890 Medina Road location in Copley on Oct. 26, 28 and 29. The man also ate food at one Cuyahoga County location Oct. 27 and another Oct. 30.
On Friday, Chipotle correctly identified the two Cleveland-area locations: Lyndhurst (Legacy Village), 24369 Cedar Road; and Parma, 7683 W. Ridgewood Drive. There are no other Ohio locations that have been linked to the outbreak.
Monday, Bob Hasenyager, director of environmental health for Summit County Public Health, and a state health official were baffled as to why the Exchange Street location showed up on the list posted on Chipotle’s website Friday.
They said that Chipotle received the information compiled by the state health department.
Investigators have yet to determine the specific ingredient linked to the illness that has infected at least 45 people in multiple states.
So far, 45 people have been infected, with 43 of them saying they ate at Chipotle in the week before they became sick.
The Centers for Disease Control has said it is aware of illnesses starting on dates ranging from Oct. 19 to Nov. 8. The agency said that illnesses that took place after Oct. 31 may not have been reported yet.
Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. closed 43 restaurants in Oregon and Washington in late October after health officials discovered most of the people sickened in the outbreak had eaten at its restaurants. The restaurants have since reopened.
Anderson, the Chipotle spokesman, told the Associated Press on Friday, “At the moment, we do not believe that it is necessary to close any [additional] restaurants.” Chipotle says on its website that it has taken measures including “deep cleaning” in restaurants, replacing ingredients and providing supply chain data to investigators.
The CDC says on its website that the evidence suggests that a common meal item or ingredient served at the restaurants is a likely source of this outbreak. Investigators have said the E. coli strain — E. coli O26 — is likely from some type of fresh food served at the chain, such as lettuce or salsa or perhaps even spices.
Of those sickened, two have been in California, two in Minnesota, one in New York, one in Ohio, 13 in Oregon and 26 in Washington, according to the CDC. Sixteen people have been hospitalized, but there have been no deaths, the agency said.
The E. coli bacteria strain is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea and dehydration.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Katie Byard can be reached at 330-996-3781 or kbyard@thebeaconjournal.com.