ROCHESTER — Health officials are urging people to contact their health care provider if they ate a hamburger, especially if undercooked, at a table-service restaurant since Oct. 31 and then developed diarrhea, particularly bloody diarrhea, in the following week. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has identified 10 cases of E.
coli O157 infection in people who had eaten burgers at multiple locations of Red Cow , a table-service restaurant chain with locations in Rochester, Hennepin County and Ramsey County. One additional case reported dining at Hen House Eatery in Minneapolis, which received the same ground beef product suspected in this investigation. The ground beef product was also distributed to other establishments, so additional cases from other locations could be identified.
ADVERTISEMENT So far, cases have reported meal dates of Oct. 31 through Nov. 7, and illness onset dates range from Nov.
4 through Nov. 9. Cases range in age from 9 to 70 years.
Two cases have been hospitalized. Additional potential cases are under investigation. Red Cow and Hen House Eatery owners are fully cooperating with the investigation and have made multiple changes, including product changes, to prevent further illnesses.
MDH is working with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and multiple local environmental health agencies during this ongoing investigation. Symptoms of illness caused by E. coli O157 typically include stomach cramps and diarrhea, often with bloody stools, but on.