Staff members are scrubbing down a Pawaa restaurant closed yesterday by a state investigation of E. coli infections that hospitalized four people.

Management of Peppa's II Korean BBQ at 1240 S. King St. agreed to the closure and is cooperating to correct violations, said Health Department spokeswoman Janice Okubo. The restaurant staff will attend a Sanitation Branch Food Safety Certification workshop.

Four of seven people diagnosed with the illness ate at Peppa's, Okubo said. But no samples of food from the restaurant were confirmed with the disease-causing bacteria, she said.

The department notified Oahu physicians Tuesday to watch for cases of severe diarrhea and test for a specific strain of E. coli, O157. The alert came after seven people were diagnosed between March 2 and 23, four of them hospitalized.

  Peppa's Temporarily Shuts Down Due To E-Coli

 

The popular Peppa's Korean Barbecue restaurant on South King St. is shut down. The state Health Department suspended its food permits.

 

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One customer remains hospitalized in serious condition with an illness that developed after getting the bacterial infection, Okubo said. She said an E. coli infection can develop into a more severe illness in someone with a weakened immune system or other existing health issues.

“;Older adults are more vulnerable,”; Okubo said, adding that the age and gender of the patient were not available.

Most E. coli illnesses are the result of eating contaminated or undercooked ground beef; contaminated lettuce, spinach, sprouts or other foods; or unpasteurized milk or juice.

Symptoms include severe or bloody diarrhea with abdominal cramps, fever or vomiting. Most people recover without specific treatment in five to 10 days, according to the department.

The restaurant owner could not be reached for comment last night.

Sekiya's restaurant in Kapahulu was temporarily closed in February 2008 after seven people who ate there developed E. coli infections. Okubo said that was the only previous case of a closure linked to E. coli contamination.