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Health Law

: Food Poison Blog

E. coli O157:H7 Outbreak Illnesses Linked to Nestle Toll House Cookie Dough Confirmed in Colorado, Texas, Washington and Minnesota

By Marler Clark

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State health departments have taken the lead in releasing news about the E. coli outbreak tied to Nestle Toll House raw cookie dough. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) put out the first official information about the outbreak late on June 18. The CDPHE release revealed that 66 people in 28 states were infected with the same genetic fingerprint of E. coli O157:H7, and that epidemiological evidence was strong that the infection vehicle was Nestle Toll House raw cookie dough. Five Coloradans were part of the outbreak; two had been hospitalized and one had contracted HUS (Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome).

On June 19 the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), a leader in foodborne illness outbreak investigation, put out a release urging consumers to avoid the Nestle Toll House raw product. The MDH release indicated that routine monitoring by the Minnesota Department of Health found that the cases of illness were all caused by E. coli O157:H7 with the same DNA fingerprint. The individuals became ill between May 3 and June 11. All six reported eating raw cookie dough of the Nestle's Toll House brand. The cases ranged in age from 2 to 18 years of age; five (83 percent) were female. One was hospitalized. All recovered.

The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) also put out a release on Friday, June 19. The DSHS release indicated that three Texans had been infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7, and that all three had recovered.

Although Washington State Department of Health has not yet put out a release, information they shared with the Seattle Post-Intelligencer was that five Washingtonians were part of the outbreak.

The CDC has not released information on the complete breakdown of how many cases each state is reporting, but that announcement is expected shortly.

Full post as published by Food Poison Blog on June 19, 2009 (boomark / email).