4 Hospitalized, More Sick in E. Coli Outbreak Linked to Seattle-Area Restaurant

need to know

• Health officials are investigating an E. coli outbreak in King County, Washington, that has hospitalized four people and is linked to other reported illnesses

• The outbreak is linked to the Tokyo Teriyaki restaurant in Bellevue, Washington, where five customers became ill

• The investigation is ongoing and officials say the source of the contamination may be outside the restaurant

Health officials are investigating an E. coli outbreak in King County, Washington, that is linked to four hospitalizations and other documented infections.

Officials with the Seattle and King County Public Health Department are “investigating” an outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) linked to the restaurant Tokyo Stop Teriyaki by asking customers who dined at the restaurant in November or December to fill out a form.

Fox 13 in Seattle reported that five people fell ill after dining at a restaurant in Bellevue, Washington, and four of them were hospitalized. seattle times. Health officials said that while “the majority of people in this outbreak” said they ate at Tokyo Stop Teriyaki before developing symptoms of E. coli infection, other illnesses have also been reported.

“It is possible that there are multiple sources or that this outbreak was caused by contaminated food served at Tokyo Station and other locations,” county spokesperson Kate Cole said in a statement. seattle times.

King County Public Health and Tokyo Station Teriyaki did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

King County ordered Tokyo Stop Teriyaki to close on Dec. 12 and reopened it three days later after confirming compliance with food safety procedures, seattle times the report said.

During a visit on December 13, health officials discovered problems with the disinfection of raw meat kitchenware, and problems with raw meat and vegetables being washed too close together. seattle times. (According to the health department’s website, E. coli infections can occur from things like contaminated raw produce and exposure to raw beef.)

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But health officials said the source of the contamination may be elsewhere because illnesses caused by similar E. coli strains have been reported, including one in King County and two outside Washington. seattle times. The newspaper also reported that an official investigating the outbreak told the owner of Tokyo Stop Teriyaki that they suspected the source was outside the store.

Public Health Department investigator Lana Johnson said in a statement to the health department seattle times “After additional cases were discovered, including out-of-state cases, we believe the contaminated product may have originated from the source/supplier.”

The investigation is ongoing.

Potential symptoms of STEC infection include stomach cramps, fever and diarrhea, “often bloody diarrhea,” the Kings County Health Department said. A small percentage (about 5% to 10%) of diagnosed cases may also develop a life-threatening complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).

“People with HUS should be hospitalized because their kidneys may stop working and other serious problems may develop,” health officials advise. “Most people with HUS recover within a few weeks, but some suffer permanent damage or die.”

Health officials say non-HUS STEC infections typically resolve within 5 to 7 days, but infected people can continue to spread the bacteria to others after symptoms subside.

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