CDC Says 75 People Infected In E. Coli Outbreak Linked To Mcdonald's

(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The Washington Post

More illnesses have been reported in the E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald's, with a total of 75 people infected in 13 states as of Friday, according to the Centers for disease Control and Prevention.

Most people interviewed by state and local health officials reported eating Quarter Pounder hamburgers from McDonald's before falling ill. It is not yet known which specific food ingredient is contaminated, but the Food and Drug Administration said this week that slivered onions are a likely source of contamination, citing preliminary information reviewed by the agency.

McDonald's has stopped using fresh slivered onions and quarter-pound beef patties in several states.

Taylor Farms, the supplier of slivered onions to the affected McDonald's locations, said it has initiated a voluntary recall of yellow onions from its Colorado facility sent to certain food service customers while the investigation into the source of contamination continues.

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the individuals and their families impacted,” Rachel Molatore, Taylor Farms spokeswoman, said in a statement. "All Taylor Farms products in the market today are safe to consume.”

McDonald's USA said slivered onions from the Taylor Farms Colorado facility had previously been distributed to about 900 McDonald's restaurants in Colorado, Kansas, Wyoming and portions of other nearby states. Some of the restaurants were in airports and other transportation hubs, which may account for illnesses in additional states, the company said Friday.

The company said it will stop sourcing onions from Taylor Farms' Colorado Springs facility indefinitely.

The FDA is determining whether the onions were served or sold at other businesses. The Agriculture Department's Food Safety and Inspection Service is investigating hamburger patties served at McDonald's to determine whether ground beef has been contaminated with E. coli.

Several other fast-food chains have removed fresh onions from their restaurants. Some Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC restaurants are no longer serving fresh onions "out of an abundance of caution,” a spokesman for Yum Brands, the parent company of the chains, said in a statement Thursday.

Burger King said it uses whole fresh onions that are cut and sliced fresh daily, but about 5 percent of its restaurants receive whole onions from a Taylor Farms Colorado facility, a spokeswoman said Friday. Burger King asked those restaurants to dispose of the onions from Taylor Farms two days ago as a precaution and is in the process of restocking onions from other facilities, the spokeswoman said. She said health authorities have not contacted the company, nor has anyone fallen ill.

Those reporting illnesses between Sept. 27 and Oct. 10 range in age from 13 to 88 years old, the CDC said. At least 22 people have been hospitalized, including two who developed a serious condition called hemolytic uremic syndrome that can cause kidney failure. One person in Colorado, an older adult with underlying conditions, has died.

State and local public health officials are interviewing people about the foods they ate during the week before they got sick. Of the 42 people interviewed, all reported eating at McDonald's, with 39 consuming beef hamburgers, the CDC said; most of those who remembered the specific hamburger reported eating a Quarter Pounder.

Health officials say the true number of sick people in this outbreak is probably much higher and the outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses. Many people recover without medical care and are not tested for E. coli. It also takes three to four weeks to determine whether a sick person is part of an outbreak.

The CDC characterized the continued risk to the public as "very low” because of the actions taken by McDonald's and Taylor Farms to stop using onions and quarter-pound beef patties.

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