E. Coli Outbreak Connected To Valley Restaurant

August 02, 2013

An apparent E. coli outbreak has been linked to a Mexican restaurant in Litchfield Park. So far, 11 people have been hospitalized who ate food from Frederico’s Mexican restaurant around July 23. Jeanene Fowler is with Maricopa County Public Health.

“What we’re most concerned with is just how sick this bacteria, E. coli bacteria, makes individuals,” Fowler said. “So it’s not necessarily the size of the outbreak as the severity of it.”

Folwer added E. coli can cause extreme intestinal distress which can lead to dehydration. Without medical treatment, the kidneys can shut down. The department has just begun its investigation into the outbreak, and Folwer believes the number of affected people could climb.