CDC lowers Chipotle E coli outbreak from 50 cases to 37
Federal and state officials yesterday downgraded the number of Escherichia coli cases linked to Chipotle restaurants in Washington and Oregon to 37, down from 50 on Nov 12.
In its update yesterday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that Washington has confirmed 24 cases with the E coli O26 outbreak strain, and Oregon has confirmed 13, numbers that coincide with updates from the Washington State Department of Health (WSDH) and the Oregon Health Authority (OHA).
Of the 37 patients, 13 have been hospitalized: 9 in Washington and 4 in Oregon. Chipotle has reopened its restaurants in Washington and Oregon that had been temporarily closed in the wake of the investigation.
In response to a CIDRAP News query about the drop in cases, CDC press officer Kate Fowlie said, "The CDC is now only reporting ill people that have been confirmed by PulseNet as being infected with the outbreak strain of E coli O26." PulseNet is the national database of foodborne illness pathogens typed by 87 labs across the country.
Fowlie added, "There are additional illnesses that were part of the 50 that [Washington and Oregon] were reporting previously that are still being investigated/undergoing laboratory testing and may be confirmed as the investigation continues."
Nov 17 CDC update
Nov 17 WSDH update
Nov 17 OHA update
Chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis all rose in 2014, CDC says
For the first time since 2006, cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and primary and secondary (P&S) syphilis all increased in 2014, the most recent year for which data are available, the CDC said yesterday in its yearly report on sexually transmitted disease (STD).
Chlamydia cases climbed to more than 1.4 million last year, 2.8% more than in 2013 and a rate of 456.1 cases per 100,000 population, making it the most common STD reported. Gonorrhea increased 5.1%, to 110.7 cases per 100,000. And P&S syphilis—the most infectious stage of the disease—rose 15.1%, for a rate of 6.3 per 100,000.
P&S syphilis has been increasing in men who have sex with men (MSM) since 2000, and the group accounted for 83% of P&S syphilis when the sex of the partner is known, the CDC said in a press release. What's more, 51% of MSM with P&S syphilis were also HIV-positive.
"Syphilis is currently the only STD for which information on the sex of the sex partner is reported," the CDC said in the release. "However, a growing body of evidence indicates that MSM are experiencing similar increases in gonorrhea and chlamydia infections—underscoring the need to further understand what is contributing to the rise."
The 2014 data also show that teens and young adults are still at the highest risk of acquiring an STD, especially chlamydia and gonorrhea. Despite being a relatively small portion of the sexually active population, people 15 to 24 years old had the highest rates of chlamydia and gonorrhea and almost two thirds of all cases.
Nov 17 CDC report
Nov 17 CDC fact sheet
Nov 17 CDC news release