One Death, 13 Cases: Montana E. coli Outbreak Traced to Contaminated Ground Beef at Five Restaurants

Lakeside, Montana United States of America
An E. coli outbreak in Flathead County, Montana, has resulted in one death and at least 13 cases.
E. coli infections can be prevented by cooking ground beef to a minimum internal temperature of 160°F and washing hands thoroughly.
Ground beef from the same lot was sold to five restaurants: Harbor Grille, Gunsight Saloon, Hops Downtown Grill, Tamarack Brewing Company, and The Lodge at Whitefish Lake.
The investigation revealed that contaminated ground beef from one lot number was consumed by all infected individuals.
The last known date of consumption of the implicated ground beef was July 14.
One Death, 13 Cases: Montana E. coli Outbreak Traced to Contaminated Ground Beef at Five Restaurants

An E. coli outbreak in Flathead County, Montana, has resulted in one death and several sicknesses. According to reports from the Flathead City-County Health Department (FCCHD) and the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS), at least 13 people have been infected with E. coli O157:H7, a strain of bacteria that can cause severe stomach cramps, bloody diarrhea, vomiting, fever, and chills. One person has died due to the infection.

The investigation into the source of the outbreak revealed that ground beef from one lot number was consumed by all infected individuals before they fell ill. The contaminated ground beef was sold directly to several restaurants in Flathead County from a distributor, and public health staff worked with these establishments to remove any remaining product.

The last known date of consumption of the implicated ground beef was July 14, 2024. The FCCHD and DPHHS are urging anyone who consumed undercooked or made-to-order burgers from one of the affected restaurants between July 1 and July 14 to contact their healthcare provider if they experience symptoms of E. coli infection.

The following restaurants have been identified as having served the contaminated ground beef: Harbor Grille in Lakeside, Gunsight Saloon in Columbia Falls, Hops Downtown Grill in Kalispell, Tamarack Brewing Company in Lakeside, and The Lodge at Whitefish Lake. Other restaurants that received the same contaminated wagyu beef but haven't reported any incidents include Flathead Fish, Crawdad Café, and Flathead Lake Lodge.

E. coli infections can be prevented by cooking ground beef to a minimum internal temperature of 160°F and avoiding undercooked or made-to-order burgers. It is also important to wash hands thoroughly after using the bathroom, changing diapers, and before handling food.

The FCCHD and DPHHS are continuing their investigation into the source of the contaminated ground beef. For more information on E. coli infections and prevention tips, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.


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Confidence

85%

Doubts
  • Is it confirmed that all 13 cases consumed ground beef from the affected lot?
  • Was the source of contamination definitively identified as the distributor or could it have been another point in the supply chain?

Sources

98%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Health department identifies restaurants connected to E. coli outbreak

Daily Inter Lake TAYLOR INMAN Saturday, 27 July 2024 08:24
  • Unique Points
    • One person died after consuming E. coli-tainted wagyu beef at Harbor Grille in Lakeside, confirmed by the Flathead City-County Health Department.
    • Four other local restaurants are associated with the recent outbreak that sickened 13 people: Gunsight Saloon in Columbia Falls, Hops Downtown Grill in Kalispell, Tamarack Brewing Company in Lakeside, and The Lodge at Whitefish Lake.
    • The source of the outbreak was wagyu beef from one lot number, all cases reported eating undercooked or made-to-order burgers made with wagyu beef at one of multiple restaurants in Flathead County.
    • Public health staff worked with affected businesses to ensure all remaining wagyu beef from the contaminated lot was removed from use.
  • Accuracy
    • At least 13 people have been sickened and one has died due to an E. coli outbreak in Flathead County.
    • The last known date of consumption of the implicated ground beef was July 14.
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (95%)
    No formal fallacies found. Some inflammatory rhetoric and appeals to authority. Dichotomous depiction present in the mention of 'all cases' reporting eating undercooked or made-to-order burgers without acknowledging other possible ways the E. coli could have been consumed.
    • The source of the outbreak was wagyu beef from one lot number, and all cases reported eating undercooked or made-to-order burgers made with wagyu beef at one of multiple restaurants in Flathead County.
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

99%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

One dead in Montana in E. coli outbreak linked to ground beef

Food Safety News Coral Beach Wednesday, 24 July 2024 21:55
  • Unique Points
    • At least 13 people have been sickened and one has died in Montana due to E. coli O157:H7 infections.
    • The last known date of consumption of the implicated ground beef was July 14.
    • The ground beef identified as the potential source of the outbreak was sold directly to several restaurants from a distributor.
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (95%)
    No direct fallacies found in the author's statements. However, there are some problematic aspects such as inflammatory rhetoric and appeals to authority. The inflammatory rhetoric is present when the author describes E. coli outbreaks as 'deadly' and links ground beef to this particular outbreak without providing concrete evidence.
    • ]This deadly outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections is under investigation in Montana.
    • It is sad to see and E. coli outbreak at all, but sadder to see one linked to ground beef. Ground beef E. coli outbreaks have been rare in the last few decades because of the work by USDA and the industry to clean up the meat supply.
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

100%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

E. coli in Flathead County: one person dead, several sick

KRTV News Great Falls Montana MTN News Wednesday, 24 July 2024 20:16
  • Unique Points
    • One person has died and a dozen others have become sick due to an E. coli outbreak in Flathead County.
    • , Preliminary investigative findings indicate that ground beef may be the exposure of concern.
    • The product was sold directly to several restaurants from a distributor, and was not available for purchase by consumers in grocery store settings.
    • Public health staff worked directly with all affected facilities to remove any remaining product. The last known date of consumption of the product was July 14th, 2024.
    • E. coli O157 infections can be caused by consuming a product contaminated with this strain of bacteria.
    • Symptoms include severe stomach cramps, bloody diarrhea, vomiting, fever and chills; young children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems are at higher risk for severe illness.
    • Individuals experiencing symptoms are encouraged to contact their healthcare provider.
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

100%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

DPHHS, local health department list Flathead restaurants tied to fatal E. coli outbreak

NBC Montana News NBC Montana Saturday, 27 July 2024 08:26
  • Unique Points
    • Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services and Flathead City-County Health Department released a list of restaurants connected to fatal E. coli outbreak in Flathead County.
    • One person's death was connected to Harbor Grille.
    • All infected persons consumed wagyu beef from one lot number and had eaten undercooked or made-to-order burgers from one of the five restaurants.
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

99%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Health Department Shares More Details About Flathead County E. Coli Outbreak

Flathead Beacon Mike Kordenbrock Friday, 26 July 2024 23:36
  • Unique Points
    • The Flathead City-County Health Department identified a Flathead County E. coli outbreak associated with ground beef distributed to local restaurants.
    • Fourteen people were sickened in the outbreak, and one person died.
    • The source of the outbreak was wagyu beef from one lot number.
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (95%)
    The article contains some instances of appeals to authority and dichotomous depictions, but overall the author's assertions are mostly factual and not fallacious. The author quotes Health Officer Jennifer Rankosky stating that the restaurants involved in the outbreak have been 'incredibly cooperative.' This is an appeal to authority as it implies that because Rankosky said it, it must be true. However, this does not detract significantly from the overall accuracy of the article and is mentioned in a context where other facts are also presented. The author also states that 'among the initial cases detected, several were not Flathed County residents,' which is a dichotomous depiction as it sets up a false dichotomy between Flathead County residents and non-residents. However, this statement is factual and does not significantly detract from the overall accuracy of the article. The author also provides important information about the investigation into the E. coli outbreak, including details about which restaurants were involved and how many people were affected.
    • ]The restaurants involved in the outbreak investigation have been 'incredibly cooperative.'[
    • Among the initial cases detected, several were not Flathead County residents,
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication