DENVER — A Colorado resident has died and 26 others have gotten sick after eating McDonald’s hamburgers tainted with E. coli, federal health officials said Tuesday.
The "fast-moving" outbreak that has sickened at least 49 people across 10 states is linked to Quarter Pounder hamburgers, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) officials said in a news release Tuesday.
Ten of those sickened by the bacteria required hospitalization, CDC officials said, including a child who developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS, a severe condition that can lead to kidney failure by destroying the small vessels inside the kidneys.
The person who died after contracting E. coli was only described as being "older" and with underlying conditions by state health department officials.
Most of the cases were being reported in Colorado, and CDC officials warned that "the true number of sick people is likely much higher than the number reported... because many people recover without medical care and are not tested for E. coli.”
The specific ingredient linked to the illness has not yet been identified, but CDC investigators were focused on two ingredients in particular: Fresh, slivered onions, and fresh quarter pound beef patties — ingredients only used in the Quarter Pounder which have since been pulled from menus in several states, CDC officials wrote in a Food Safety Alert issued Tuesday.
In a statement, Cesar Piña, McDonald’s North America chief supply chain officer, said the fast food company is taking “swift and decisive action” following the E. coli outbreak that is suspected to have come from a single supplier that serves three distribution centers.
As a result, he said, McDonald's was pulling the Quarter Pounder from its menus not only in Colorado, but across locations in Kansas, Utah and Wyoming, as well as portions of Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, and Oklahoma.
“We take food safety extremely seriously and it’s the right thing to do,” Piña said. “In the meantime, all other menu items, including other beef products (including the Cheeseburger, Hamburger, Big Mac, McDouble and the Double Cheeseburger) are unaffected and available.”
While most E. coli strains are harmless and part of a healthy intestinal tract in people and warm-blooded animals, some strains of the bacteria can cause severe stomach cramps as well as bloody or watery diarrhea, vomiting or a fever, according to the CDC.
Those most at risk for becoming seriously ill or dying after contracting E. coli include young children, pregnant women, senior citizens and anyone with a compromised immune system, health officials said.
Symptoms typically start three to four days after ingesting the bacteria and most people typically recover without treatment after five to seven days.
If you recently ate a McDonald’s Quarter Pounder and are experiencing these symptoms, you are asked to contact your health care provider and local public health agency.
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