By: Candess Zona-Mendola of MakeFoodSafe

The local news is reporting that the outbreak of Ecoli illnesses linked to Philadelphia restaurants in the area as increased to 16 cases. The investigation into the source of these illnesses is still ongoing. 

Escherichia coli
Image/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

While the public awaits more news, they are calling for the health department to name the restaurants involved. At this time, officials are not releasing the names of restaurants they think are involved in this outbreak. James Garrow, spokesperson for the health department, said in a statement, “The Health Department’s investigation, like all foodborne illness investigations, takes time. This a wide-ranging investigation that asks very sick people to list every single thing that they’ve eaten or drank, at the level of every individual ingredient, during the period when they were exposed to the bug. This generates a massive list of possible items and locations that may have been the culprit.”

If you have eaten at any restaurants in Philadelphia and have become sick, medical attention is recommended. The symptoms of an Ecoli infection include: mild fever, severe and painful stomach and abdominal cramps, and diarrhea that is usually bloody and watery.