The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that a popular McDonald’s menu item may have caused one person to die and 49 others to have confirmed cases of E. coli. Between September 27 and October 11, ten US states reported E. coli positive tests. 49 people have reported contracting the bacterial illness so far, with 10 hospitalized and one dying.

So far, states affected by E. coli infections connected to McDonald’s include Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oregon, Utah, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. According to reports, 27 of the 49 instances are in Colorado, including one fatal case and a youngster suffering from serious renal issues. The ages of people afflicted range from 13 to 88 years old.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, E. coli is a kind of bacterium that can cause infections in the gut (GI tract), urinary system, and other regions of the body. Typically, it may remain in your intestines without causing harm. However, some types might cause watery diarrhea, vomiting, and fever. Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) is more likely to cause serious disease. ” The virus can be contracted by consuming “contaminated food,” which the clinic defines as “undercooked meat and raw fruits and vegetables that aren’t washed well enough.” After all reported patients verified their dining at the fast food restaurant, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) connected the epidemic to a McDonald’s menu item—the Quarter Pounder burger, with many reporting eating the burger prior to infection. It is unclear which component in the meal may have caused the E. coli epidemic, but McDonald’s has taken precautionary steps while it investigates.

The fast food chain confirmed in a statement that it has halted using ‘slivered onions’ that are ‘sourced by a single supplier that serves three distribution centers’, pausing the ‘distribution of all slivered onions in the impacted area,’ and removing the Quarter Pounder from restaurants in impacted areas ‘out of an abundance of caution’.
According to a CDC announcement, McDonald’s is collaborating with the agency to confirm the tainted component, with an official investigation beginning yesterday (October 22). Because illnesses often take weeks to report, officials fear a dramatic increase in instances.

According to the CDC, symptoms usually appear three to four days after contacting the bacteria, and patients normally recover in five to seven days ‘without therapy’.
However, the CDC also encourages members of the public to contact their healthcare practitioner if they have just consumed a McDonald’s Quarter Pounder and are having any of the following symptoms:
Fever more than 102°F
Diarrhea that lasts longer than three days, does not improve, or contains blood
Especially when unable to keep liquids down, vomiting occurs.
Signs of dehydration include irregular weeping, dry lips, and throat, and feeling dizzy upon standing up.
In extreme circumstances, E. coli can cause serious renal issues.

McDonald’s stated in a statement, as reported by NBC Chicago: “Across the McDonald’s System, serving customers securely in every single restaurant, every day, is our top priority and something we’ll never compromise on. This is the reason we are reacting swiftly and resolutely to the E. coli outbreak in specific states. We take food safety very seriously, and it is the correct thing to do. Impacted restaurants will get a stock recovery notification today and should contact their field supply chain manager or distribution center with any inquiries. We are working closely with our suppliers to restore supplies for the quarter-pound in the next few weeks (the timeline will vary per market). In the meantime, all other menu items, including beef products (such as the Cheeseburger, Hamburger, Big Mac, McDouble, and Double Cheeseburger), remain unchanged and accessible. We will continue to collaborate with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and pledge to provide timely updates as we restore our complete menu.”