In a surprising, but certainly commendable move, Subway today issued an apology to the 80 plus Illinois citizens sickened in a state-wide Salmonella Hvittingfoss outbreak.

"We sincerely apologize to all Subway customers, those who have fallen ill, and those who now may hesitate to come back for a while," spokesman Kevin Kane noted. "We are truly sorry for the difficulty this situation has caused you, our customer, and are working diligently to solve this mystery and to regain your trust."

Hopefully this means Subway will not be fighting its duty to pay for the medical bills and lost wages of those sickened after eating at its restaurant.

The Illinois Department of Public Health says people began getting sick after eating in Subway restaurants beginning May 11.

As of Tuesday, citizens from the following counties have been confirmed as part of this outbreak: Bureau, Cass, Champaign, Christian, Coles, DeKalb, DeWitt, Fulton, Henry, Knox, LaSalle, Livingston, Macon, Marshall, McLean, Moultrie, Ogle, Peoria, Sangamon, Schuyler, Shelby, Tazewell, Vermilion, Warren, Will and Winnebago.

The Hvittingfoss strain of Salmonella involved in the outbreak is an uncommon variety called Hvittingfoss. Typically, only 1 or 2 cases of this type appear in Illinois each year.