According to Food Safety News, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is reporting there have been five hospitalizations, including two reports of a type of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). No deaths have been reported.
On November 20, Costco notified the FDA that it was removing its rotisserie chicken salad product from its shelves nationwide and has stopped production until further notice. So far, outbreak cases have been reported in California (1), Colorado (4), Missouri (1), Montana (6), Utah (5), Virginia (1), and Washington (1).
The Montana Department of Health says the state has been hit hard in the outbreak, with six people ill and two of them hospitalized. The six illnesses were reported to be in Gallatin, Lewis & Clark and Yellowstone counties, officials said in a press release on Tuesday.
The CDC, FDA and state health departments are all working on this outbreak. The shiga-toxin-producing E. coli O157:H7 is not the same strain that sickened Chipotle customers recently. This strain linked to Costco chicken salad is particularly worrisome because it can be life-threatening.
To date, health officials have not been able to determine the specific ingredient in the chicken salad responsible for the foodborne illness. CBC.ca is reporting that Seattle attorney Bill Marler, who is representing those sickened in the Chipotle Outbreak, said this latest E. coli outbreak is an excellent example of why food safety is so important.
The illnesses in this recent outbreak apparently started on dates ranging from October 6, 2015, to November 3. The ages of those who became ill range from 5 to 84 years of age, with the median being 18 years old. Anyone who bought chicken salad from a Costco store in the U.S. on or before Nov. 20, 2015, should not eat it and should throw it away.
The product has a shelf life of three days and is labeled “Chicken Salad made with Rotisserie Chicken” with item number 37719 on the label. The CDC will report on any new information on this outbreak as it becomes available.