Put Down That Quarter Pounder — Burger Is Being Blamed for E. Coli Outbreak
There has been one death reported as a result of this outbreak.
Published Oct. 23 2024, 1:13 p.m. ET
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is sounding the alarm by issuing a Food Safety Alert after nearly 50 McDonald's customers were reportedly sickened by E. coli.
Federal health officials say that so far everyone who has come down with the illness had admitted to eating a Quarter Pounder from McDonald's in the days leading up to the start of their symptoms, prompting the CDC to look into the fast food chain.
Learn which states seem to be impacted by this outbreak, and what McDonald's is doing about it.
The E. coli outbreak appears to link back to McDonald's Quarter Pounders.
According to the CDC's Food Safety Alert, the investigation into the chain was opened on Oct. 22, 2024 after 49 cases of E. coli were detected across 10 states.
Of those confirmed infections, 10 of them required hospitalization and one person reportedly died as a result.
As such, McDonald's has stopped selling the Quarter Pounders in the states where the outbreak seems to be most centralized, and the company is discontinuing the use of some of the product's main ingredients while they determine the source of the outbreak.
That means that the company will stop using the quarter pound beef patties and slivered onions that come standard on its famed burgers.
These are the states where people have reported E. coli symptoms after eating Quarter Pounders.
The person who died after eating the tainted burger reportedly lived in Colorado, where most of the cases seem to be coming from, according to the Associated Press. In addition to the initial fatality, there is also a child hospitalized in the state due to severe kidney complications.
The remaining cases were reported to federal health officials in the final week of September and beginning of October, with positive cases popping up in healthcare centers in: Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Wyoming, Montana, Utah, Oregon, and Wisconsin.
Due to the centralized nature of the outbreak, McDonald's seems to believe that a single supplier of onions may be to blame, and that company has since suspended distribution while the investigation unfolds.
Some common E. coli symptoms to look out for:
Anyone worried about possible E. coli infection after eating a Quarter Pounder purchased at a McDonald's in one of those states between Sept. 27, 2024 and Oct. 11, 2024 should be on the lookout for some common symptoms, which the CDC says includes:
- Diarrhea
- Fevers of 102 degrees or higher
- Excessive vomiting
- Difficulty keeping fluids down.
Another key factor to keep an eye on involves sigs of extreme dehydration, which can present as a lack of urine output, dizziness upon standing, and a dry mouth.
Most E. coli symptoms begin around three days after coming into contact with the bacteria, so anyone who has eaten a Quarter Pounder without symptoms should be in the clear at this point.
Of course, this article isn't meant to substitute the advice of a healthcare provider, and if you are experiencing symptoms or else have concerns about possible E. coli exposure, you should contact your doctor directly.