The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday said at least 75 people across 13 states have been sickened by the recent and deadly E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounder hamburgers.
The CDC confirmed one fatality linked to the outbreak, as had been previously reported. At least 22 people have been hospitalized, and two people developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a serious health issue that can cause kidney failure. The person who died, an older person from Colorado, isn’t one of the people who developed HUS, the health agency said.
Of the people the who told the CDC they got sick after eating at McDonald’s, nearly all said they had eaten a beef hamburger, with most specifying it had been a Quarter Pounder. Some of those who were stricken reported traveling to other states before they became ill, with at least three eating at McDonald’s during their travel, the federal agency noted.
Investigators continue to work to confirm if slivered onions or beef patties in the burgers are the source of the E. coli outbreak. Preliminary findings reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration Administration show that slivered onions are a likely source. The FDA is also working to determine if the onions were served or sold at other businesses.
The supplier of the onions for the affected McDonald’s locations, Taylor Farms, initiated a recall of yellow onions.
The potential for contamination prompted Burger King, KFC, Taco Bell and other major fast-food chains to pull fresh onions from some of their own locations, although the restaurants stressed they had no indications of illness.
Federal health officials alerted the public to the outbreak on Tuesday, and McDonald’s removed the product from about a fifth of its 13,000 U.S. locations.
