One person has died and 10 people are in hospital across 10 US states following an E coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounder burgers.
The US Centres for Disease Control (CDC) said on Tuesday that 49 people have been fallen unwell from the same strain of E coli – a lethal bacteria which affects nearly 100,000 Americans a year.
Quarter pounders in some states may be temporarily unavailable, according to the CDC’s statement.
Health officials said most of the illnesses are in Colorado and Nebraska.
The exact contaminated ingredient remains unknown, but investigators are concentrating on the slivered onions and the beef patties, both of which have been removed from stores in the affected states.
One child has been hospitalised with hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) – a serious condition that causes kidney damage in about one in seven E Coli cases.
No further information has been disclosed about the child, though the man who died is understood to be from Colorado and was described as “older.”
The investigation into the E Coli outbreak is ongoing
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According to the CDC, the majority of cases have occurred in Colorado (27) and Nebraska (9).
Other reported cases have also surfaced in Utah, Wyoming, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin, Montana, and Oregon.
The first reported case occurred on September 27.
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In its alert, the Centers for Disease Control said: “Everyone interviewed has reported eating at McDonald’s before their illness started, and most specifically mentioned eating a Quarter Pounder hamburger.
“The specific ingredient linked to illness has not yet been identified, but investigators are focused on two ingredients in particular: fresh, slivered onions, and fresh beef patties.”
CDC’s investigation into the outbreak is still ongoing.