There are almost 400 miles between the Harvey’s restaurant in North Bay and the Little Red Rooster restaurant in Niagara-on-the-Lake, but the two Ontario restaurants may be sharing a E. coli outbreak.
In North Bay, the number of confirmed E. Coli cases was up to 229. In Niagara, the count stood at 18.
Bjorn Christensen, the Niagara’s director of environmental health, said they have not yet been able to determine the specific source of the E. coli, but it is commonly found in undercooked beef.
Investigators are looking at other possible sources, including other restaurants and food distributors in the area.
Christensen said that given the restaurant’s popularity with tourists and proximity to the U.S. border, it is possible new cases might be found outside of the region.
Meanwhile, in the central Ontario city of North Bay, health officials said 12 more cases of E. coli are being investigated for a total of 229 cases.
Forty-four of those cases have been confirmed to be E. coli O157: H7.
Both Ontario restaurants closed as a result of the E. coli outbreaks (or outbreak) Go here for more.