E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald's Quarter Pounders in multiple states
Category: News & Politics
Via: perrie-halpern • 2 days ago • 12 commentsBy: Sara G. Miller and Erika Edwards
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Health officials are investigating an E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald's Quarter Pounders in multiple states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday.
It's not yet known which ingredient in the hamburgers is making people sick. Slivered onions and quarter-pound beef patties, both of which are specifically used for Quarter Pounders, are being looked at.
At least 49 people in 10 states have been sickened. One person, an older adult in Colorado, has died.
Ten people have been hospitalized, including a child who developed a kidney disease called hemolytic uremic syndrome.
McDonald's is working with public health officials, according to the CDC. The fast-food chain has stopped using the slivered onions and quarter-pound beef patties in several states, the CDC said.
McDonald's said in a statement Tuesday afternoon that its "initial findings from the investigation indicate that a subset of illnesses may be linked to slivered onions used in the Quarter Pounder and sourced by a single supplier that serves three distribution centers."
"We will continue to work with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and are committed to providing timely updates as we restore our full menu," the statement said.
Matt Wise, chief of the CDC's Outbreak Response and Prevention Branch, told NBC News, "This is a fast-moving outbreak."
The first case occurred Sept. 27. State health officials in Colorado alerted the CDC of an unusual uptick in E. coli cases on Oct. 10, Wise said. The agency started its investigation on Oct. 15.
While the overall risk to the public is low now that McDonald's has pulled Quarter Pounders from its restaurants in affected states, Wise said he suspects more illnesses may be reported.
The CDC said recent illnesses may not have been reported yet as "it usually takes 3 to 4 weeks to determine if a sick person is part of an outbreak."
Symptoms of E. coli infection include high fever over 102 degrees, severe stomach cramps, diarrhea and vomiting.
Sixteen of the people who were sickened said they'd eaten at McDonald's before they got sick, Wise said. Twelve of those people specifically said they'd had Quarter Pounder hamburgers.
The Food and Drug Administration said it's "working quickly to confirm" whether the slivered onions were served or sold to other businesses.
Diced onions used in other products at McDonald's aren't implicated in the outbreak, the FDA said.
The Agriculture Department is also assisting the CDC and state health officials in the investigation.
Most of the cases, 26, have been reported in Colorado. Nebraska has reported nine.
Other cases are in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
CORRECTION: (Oct. 22, 2024, 10:24 p.m. ET) An earlier version of this article misstated the number of E. coli cases in Colorado, based on CDC reporting. There are 26 cases, not 27, according to the Colorado Department of Health.
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It has been an up and down week for McDonalds.
Trump goes to McDonalds for a photo op early in the week and now the company has an E. Coli outbreak? I bet Trump didn't wash his hands.
Didn’t the outbreak occur earlier?
It’s been reported that Trump is obsessive about hand washing.
I wasn't serious.
I'm surprised he shook hands at one of his 'rallies' recently or was that the musical numbers instead of questions? Each day it's more bizarre. Shaking hands with the great unwashed - as he sees his cult.
I’m surprised that you’re surprised.
I'm surprised that you are surprised that anyone is surprised.
That's funny. Why would it be an up week just because he did a photo-op/'campaign' event? The place was closed for the fake event. He got a medal for 'mastering the french fry station' in devastated North Carolina
Trump goes to Mc Donalds and suddenly Mc Donalds has E coli, hopefully he doesn't visit the plant where they smoke bacon.
No suddenly about it as the outbreak started in September, long before the photo op, also it has occurred across 10 states whereas the photo op was only at one location in one state
Why does everything in the states have to be tied to some politician on one side or the other that someone hates. Sometimes shit happens and is not political
Rumors has it that it's the onions.
Damn! Now my kids will claim they were smart to always get their burgers with no onions... They said they were "icky" and apparently, they were right.