US - Media report: Rare typhoid fever spread at Qdoba restaurant in Colorado

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CBS NEWS November 3, 2015, 11:26 AM

Rare typhoid fever spread at Qdoba restaurant in Colorado

FIRESTONE, Colo. - Three cases of life-threatening typhoid fever have been confirmed in Colorado.

CBS Denver reports all three of the people sickened with the bacterial infection had eaten at a Qdoba Mexican Grill in Firestone in August.

Though the outbreak happened in August, the three illnesses were just reported in recent weeks because incubation of the rare infection and diagnosis take time, said state epidemiologist Dr. Lisa Miller with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

The infected customers came down with headaches, fever and other symptoms. "Two of these three people were actually hospitalized, so they were quite sick," Miller said. All three patients have now recovered, CBS Denver reported.

According to Miller, tests of employees showed the source of the illness was an infected food handler at the Qdoba who spread the salmonella typhi bacteria. The employee reportedly showed no symptoms of illness.

How did it get into the food? "Someone sheds it in their feces and contaminated food or directly contaminated something that somebody else ingests," Miller said.
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http://www.cbsnews.com/news/rare-typhoid-fever-qdoba-mexican-restaurant-colorado/

 

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DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT
1555 North 17th Avenue
Greeley, CO 80631

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 2, 2015
Contact: Eric Aakko
Public Information Officer
(970) 304-6470, ext. 2380; (970) 673-2893 (mobile); eaakko@weldgov.com

Typhoid Fever Sickens Three Adults

Weld County, CO ? Public health officials have confirmed three cases of typhoid fever among individuals
who had eaten at a restaurant in Firestone in August. Two individuals were hospitalized; all three have
recovered from the illness. No new cases have been reported.

Officials from the State Health Department and the Weld County Department of Public Health and
Environment believe the illness was acquired from an infected food handler at a franchised Qdoba
Mexican restaurant in Firestone. Qdoba management and employees have been highly cooperative in
the investigation. The infected food handler is not working at the restaurant, does not have symptoms
of the illness, and will receive appropriate medical treatment. Additional testing of current and former
employees will be completed to make sure no other individuals are confirmed with the illness.

?Typhoid fever is very rare,? says Dr. Mark E. Wallace, MD MPH, Executive Director of the Weld County
Health Department. ?The good news is the illness is treatable with antibiotics. Simply having eaten at
the restaurant is not a reason to see your health care provider. Only those currently exhibiting
symptoms should contact their health care provider.? The signs and symptoms for typhoid fever include
a sustained fever as high as 103? to 104? F. The infected person may also feel weak, or have stomach
pains, headache, or loss of appetite. In some cases, patients have a rash of flat, rose-colored spots. The
only way to know for sure if an illness is typhoid fever is to have stool samples or blood tested for the
presence of Salmonella typhi. If someone is currently ill with these symptoms, they should contact their
health care provider to get tested and treated.

The Health Department has not received any reports of sick individuals since mid-October. The Colorado
Department of Public Health and Environment has issued a statewide message to health care providers
notifying them of the typhoid cases. Typhoid fever, also known as Salmonella typhi, is a life-threatening
bacterial infection. In the United States, it?s estimated approximately 5,700 cases occur annually. Most
cases (up to 75%) are acquired while traveling internationally. Typhoid fever is still common in the
developing world, where it affects about 21 million people annually. People can get typhoid fever if
they eat food or drink beverages handled by a person who is shedding Salmonella typhi or if sewage
contaminated with the bacteria gets into the drinking water. Colorado averages about five cases of
typhoid fever each year.

For more information, contact the Colorado CO-HELP telephone number at: (877) 462-2911 or to obtain
a typhoid fever fact sheet, visit: www.weldhealth.org.

http://www.co.weld.co.us/assets/AD63D7467A4A6d85045A.pdf