The Centers for Disease Control issued a food-safety alert today, October 22, warning that there's a fast-spreading E. coli outbreak connected to the fast-food burgers.
"McDonald's Quarter Pounder hamburgers are making people sick, with most illnesses in Colorado and Nebraska," the CDC says.
As a precaution, McDonald's has already stopped using quarter-pound patties and fresh, slivered onions in some locations. So far, there have been 49 cases, ten hospitalizations and one death linked to the E. coli outbreak, according to the CDC. The death was in Colorado, the most affected state; 26 of the reported cases have been here.
"McDonald’s and investigators are working quickly to confirm which food ingredient is contaminated," notes the CDC. "McDonald’s has pulled ingredients for these burgers, and they won’t be available for sale in some states."
If you've eaten a quarter-pound hamburger from McDonald's in the last few days and have E. coli symptoms, the CDC recommends calling your health-care provider. E. coli symptoms include severe stomach cramps, diarrhea and a fever over 102 degrees, or a fever that lasts for three days persistently. Intense vomiting to the extent that you can't keep liquid down and signs of dehydration are also possible results of E. coli.
Most people recover in around a week with treatment. According to the CDC, because not every person who gets sick will report to doctors, more cases connected to the outbreak are likely unreported. While Colorado is the leading state in cases now, the CDC says there may be more states that are impacted.
Most people who have come down with illnesses from the outbreak did so in the first week of October, though the CDC says that trend may be because it takes a few weeks to trace whether a case is part of an outbreak or not.
E. coli or not, we don't recommend getting a quarter pounder from McDonald's to satisfy your burger craving, anyway. Check out Westword's Ultimate Burger Guide for advice on which burger is right for you.
Here is a map of the outbreak as of October 22.
A map of where E. coli cases connected to this outbreak are now.
Centers for Disease Control
