Health officials said on Oct. 25 that the E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounders has spread more widely and sickened more people, with 75 illnesses across 13 states, including 22 hospitalizations and one death.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention first announced the outbreak on Oct. 22, when it said that initial investigations suggested that slivered onions used in the Quarter Pounder might be the source of the E. coli infections, which at the time numbered 49 across 10 states.
Now, in an update on Oct. 25, the CDC noted that an additional 26 cases have been reported, 12 more people have been hospitalized, and the outbreak had spread to an additional three states—Michigan, New Mexico, and Washington.
“More illnesses have been reported and everyone interviewed continues to report eating at McDonald’s before their illness started,” the CDC said in Friday’s update. “McDonald’s Quarter Pounder hamburgers are making people sick.”
Most of the E. coli cases have been reported in Colorado and Nebraska, which have 26 and 15 cases, respectively, the CDC said. Infections have also been reported in Oregon, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, and Wisconsin.
“This outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses, and the true number of sick people is likely much higher than the number reported,” the CDC said in a statement.
The reason the CDC believes there are more infections than have been reported is that many people recover from E. coli infections without medical treatment and don’t get tested.
Symptoms of E. coli infections typically include severe stomach cramps, diarrhea (often bloody), and vomiting, usually beginning 3–4 days after exposure. Most people recover within a week, but severe cases can result in hemolytic uremic syndrome, a potentially life-threatening condition that can cause kidney failure.
No comments:
Post a Comment