E. coli cases linked to Miguel’s Cocina jump to 20 as victim speaks out
SAN DIEGO — The County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency confirmed Friday there are now 20 new cases of E. coli linked to Miguel’s Cocina in 4S Ranch — that’s three more cases since Thursday.
Miguel’s Cocina was the restaurant of choice for Denis Bisson and his family on Oct. 12.
“I had my cousins in town from the East Coast visiting, so we thought, you’re in San Diego, Mexican food is the way to go,” Bisson told FOX 5 in an interview. “I had fajitas, chicken, shrimp, and mushroom fajitas couple appetizers.”
Nothing unusual, he says until a few days later when he began to experience uncontrollable cramping, low grade fever and severe diarrhea. Bisson was admitted to the hospital.
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“Not to be graphic, but seeing parts of my intestine coming out, it’s traumatizing,” Bisson said. “You see blood, what is this colitis? What is this cancer? Who knows.”
Bisson is one of the now 20 cases of diagnosed E. coli linked to Miguel’s Cocina. Seven have been hospitalized, including four children. All of the cases dined at the restaurant between Oct. 6- 18.
“There was a long exposure period of over 12 days, so people were getting sick, having eaten on 12 different days, that means there was probably a heavy amount of contamination and that it was recurring,” Attorney Ron Simon said.
Simon, who represents 10 of those impacted by the outbreak, has filed two lawsuits against the Brigantine Incorporated, the parent company of Miguel’s Cocina.
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“All the victims have eaten different things, so it wasn’t one particular food, which would lead to the theory that it may have been propagated by a food handler,” Simon said.
County health officials continue to investigate, and still, there’s no word on the exact source of contamination.
It’s a health warning Bisson wants everyone to know.
“When things happen, people shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss, ‘Oh you know it was a bad burrito, oh bad food,’ this allows the issue to propagate,” Bisson said.
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