McDonald's hamburgers are deadly in the United States. coli outbreaks

A McDonald's sandwich is making people sick in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The CDC announced Tuesday that McDonald's Quarter Pounder sandwiches contain E. coli, a type of bacteria that can cause serious stomach problems.

So far, the CDC has recorded 49 cases of the illness in 10 states. Ten cases resulted in patients being hospitalized and one died.

According to the CDC, most cases were recorded in western and midwestern states.

The fast-food restaurant is working with investigators to determine which ingredients caused the outbreak, according to a statement from the CDC.

“McDonald's has pulled ingredients for these burgers, and they will not be available for sale in some states,” the company said.

“It is not yet known which specific food ingredient is contaminated,” the CDC added, noting that McDonald's has already “stopped using fresh slivered onions and quarter-pound beef patties” in several states.

The CDC said slivered onions are believed to be a possible source of contamination, and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigators are working to determine if the onions were sold at another business.

No recalls have yet been issued by the CDC or other health and food regulators.

The first case was recorded on September 27, say investigators. The victims ranged in age from 13 to 88.

About one in 10 people admitted to hospital develop hemolytic uremic syndrome, a serious condition that can lead to kidney failure.

Another person, described by the CDC as “an older adult in Colorado,” died after eating at McDonald's.

Cases have been reported in Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oregon, Utah, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

McDonald's shares fell nearly 9% on the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday.

In a statement, McDonald's said a preliminary investigation found “a subset of illnesses may be linked to sleeved onions used in quarter pounders and sourced by a single supplier that serves three distribution centers”.

The Chicago-based company added that it had ordered all local restaurants to “remove this product from their supply” and halted shipments of sliced ​​onions to the region.

The sandwich is also being temporarily removed from menus in several states, the company said: “We take food safety very seriously and it's the right thing to do.”

Other beef products remain on the menu, McDonald's USA President Joe Erlinger said in a video message.

“At McDonald's, you can count on us to do the right thing,” he said.

E. coli is a diverse group of bacteria that commonly inhabits the intestines of humans and animals.

While many are harmless, some produce toxins that can make you sick.

Symptoms include severe and sometimes bloody diarrhea, abdominal pain, vomiting and fever.

It usually takes a few days for symptoms to appear after being infected.

This is the first E. to affect McDonald's in recent years. Not a coli outbreak.

In 2022, six children in Alabama died after eating Chicken McNuggets. Coli was infected.

Four children have been hospitalized. Health inspectors later visited the affected restaurants and found several violations, including improper hand washing and a lack of gloves.