ROCHESTER — Health officials are urging people to contact their health care provider if they have eaten a hamburger, especially if it is undercooked, at a table service restaurant since Oct. 31 and have then developed diarrhea, particularly bloody diarrhea, the following week.

The Minnesota Department of Health has identified 10 cases of E. coli O157 infection in people who ate hamburgers at several locations in Red cowa chain of table service restaurants located in Rochester, Hennepin and Ramsey counties. Another case reported a dinner 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, leading to the identification of additional cases from other locations.

So far, cases have reported meal dates ranging from October 31 to November 7, and illness onset dates range from November 4 to November 9. The age of the cases ranges from 9 to 70 years. Two cases were hospitalized. Other potential cases are under investigation.

The owners of Red Cow and Hen House Eatery are fully cooperating with the investigation and have made numerous changes, including product changes, to prevent further illness. MDH is working with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and several local environmental health agencies during this ongoing investigation.

Symptoms of illness caused by E. coli O157 usually include stomach cramps and diarrhea, often accompanied by bloody stools, but only mild or no fever. People usually get sick two to five days after exposure, but this period can be anywhere from one to eight days. Most people recover within five to ten days. However, about 5% of E. coli O157 infections result in hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a serious complication that involves acute kidney failure and other serious problems. Fluid therapy can help prevent HUS, but E. coli O157 gastroenteritis should not be treated with antibiotics, as they can increase the risk of HUS.

Anyone who thinks they have developed an E. coli O157 infection should contact their health care provider.

Approximately 100 cases of E. coli O157 infection are reported each year in Minnesota. More information about E. coli O157 and how to prevent it can be found on MDH

E’s website. coli.

Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under the byline “staff.” Often, the byline “personnel” is used when rewriting basic informational documents that come from official sources, such as a city press release regarding a road closure, and that require little or no reporting. Sometimes this byline is used when a news story includes many authors or when the news story is formed by aggregating previously reported information from various sources. If outside sources are used, this is noted in the story.