OAN Staff Blake Wolf
1:51 PM – Friday, October 25, 2024
McDonald’s Quarter Pounders have been linked to a series of hospital visits stemming from the ingestion of a deadly E. coli strain, causing one known death and leaving 75 people ill so far.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a report on Friday revealing that the reported illnesses stem across 13 states and have sent at least 22 individuals to the hospital. There are now 75 cases altogether, up from 49 on Tuesday.
Two of the affected individuals reportedly developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).
“Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) is a condition that can occur when small blood vessels become damaged and inflamed. This damage can cause clots to form in the vessels all through the body. The clots can damage the kidneys and other organs. Hemolytic uremic syndrome can lead to kidney failure, which can be life-threatening,” according to the Mayo Clinic.
Matt Wise, the chief of the CDC’s Outbreak Response and Prevention Branch, commented on the rising number of affected Americans.
“I think there will most certainly be more illnesses reported,” Wise stated.
The link connecting the illness to a food poisoning outbreak generally takes time, as investigators have currently interviewed 42 individuals who became ill. All interviewees revealed that they had eaten McDonald’s prior to feeling ill, and “specifically mentioned eating a Quarter Pounder hamburger.”
Investigators were then able to narrow down the culprit of the outbreak to likely be from the onions served on the burger, although the patties are still in question as well.
“New as of 10/25: More illnesses have been reported and everyone interviewed continues to report eating at McDonald’s before their illness started. The most recent illness started on October 10. Taylor Farms has initiated a voluntary recall of some onions sent to food service operators. Due to the product actions taken by both companies, CDC believes the risk to the public is very low,” the CDC statement read.
E. coli symptoms generally tend to affect individuals a few days following ingestion, which include symptoms of vomiting, diarrhea, and fevers.
The age diversity in the reported cases range from 13-years-old to 88-years-old, with most of them being men.
The Quarter Pounder’s slivered onions are uniquely separate from the rest of the menu, which calls for dehydrated diced onions, leading investigators to pinpoint that the slivered onions or the specific Quarter Pounder patty is to blame.
Following the findings, McDonald’s took action, removing the Quarter Pounder and slivered onions in question from restaurants in Colorado, Kansas, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, and Oklahoma.
“At this point, we are just not seeing anything reported in ill people that suggests there’s something going on outside of Quarter Pounders,” Wise continued.
Additionally, McDonald’s is currently facing separate lawsuits stemming from two individuals who fell sick after eating the burger.
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