Last month, Chipotle closed 43 restaurants in Washington state and Oregon after health authorities reported numerous cases of food poisoning linked to the E.Coli outbreak. Illnesses reported by the consumption of Chipotle’s food have recently been linked to seven more states, including Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Illinois.

Short for Escherichia coli, e.coli is a bacteria that is in our small intestines that helps break down and digest the food we eat. Unfortunately, certain types of E. coli can get from the intestines into the blood which causes illness and it can cause a very serious infection. Symptoms include: vomiting, diarrhea, and bad stomach cramps.

“I used to really love Chipotle, but ever since the e. coli break out I’ve been very cautious of what I order,” Vianey Tascano, senior, said.

“Chipotle is my life and I am so frustrated that the only thing I eat hs bacteria that can kill me,” Jessica Calma, senior, said. “I wish the FDA figures something out soon.”

Other incidents of food poisoning include a recent reporting of 80 Boston college students. Due to the closing of the Chipotle location in Boston, the restaurant also broke two health code violations: improper handling of poultry and the presence of a sick employee.

“I hope the Chipotle franchise doesn’t shutdown because of the breakout. It would seriously emotionally damage many students in the school,” Liam Lorenz, freshman, said.

E.Coli is more likely to kill older and younger people, as well as people whose immune systems fail to attack the pathogen. Even in non-lethal cases, the bacteria can be extremely unpleasant.

To keep yourself safe, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends thoroughly washing and cooking food before consumption, and avoiding cross-contaminating cooking surfaces that may come into contact with raw meat. Food should be cooked to at least 165 degrees before the majority of harmful pathogens are destroyed.

In their press release, Chipotle has this to say,

“While Chipotle’s food safety practices were already well within industry norms, I was asked to design a more robust food safety program to ensure the highest level of safety and the best quality of all meals served at Chipotle,” said Mansour Samadpour, Ph.D., CEO of IEH Laboratories and Consulting Group.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are about 48 million cases of food-related illness in the U.S. annually, including 265,000 cases of E. coli. Since this incident began, Chipotle has continued to serve more than 1 million customers a day in its restaurants nationwide without incident. Additional information about this incident is available online at Chipotle.com