Craving that juicy beef burger at McDonald’s but worried about the recent outbreak?
Soon, McDonald’s Quarter Pounders will be back on menus across the United States following an ongoing investigation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A CDC alert previously triggered recalls at hundreds of restaurants after health officials believed the beef patties were the source of the E. coli outbreak.
“Everyone interviewed has reported eating at McDonald’s before their illness started, and most specifically mentioned eating a Quarter Pounder hamburger,” the CDC said in a recent alert, calling it a “fast-moving outbreak investigation.”
Meanwhile, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration identified slivered onions as the contamination culprit, according to a statement from McDonald’s. This prompted McDonald’s to halt the use of onions from Taylor Farms’ Colorado Springs facility amid the ongoing FDA investigation.
“Taylor Farms, the supplier of slivered onions to the affected McDonald’s locations, has initiated a voluntary recall and has asked customers to stop using some onions while this investigation is ongoing,” the CDC stated. “Food service customers were contacted directly and told to remove onions.”
E. coli outbreaks are not new. They have been linked to restaurants like Chipotle, which reported several cases across the country, and found in beef products.
As for the McDonald’s outbreak, the good news is the CDC considers the risk of infection “very low” due to “the product actions taken by both companies.”
Overall, 75 people across 13 states have been infected with the bacteria as of Oct. 25, according to the CDC. One death and 22 hospitalizations have been reported. The most cases were found in Colorado (26), followed by Montana (13) and Nebraska (11).
The Teen Battling Kidney Failure from Quater Pounders
In the days before Kamberlyn Bowler of Grand Junction, Colorado became ill, she went to McDonald’s several times for her favorite meal: a Quarter Pounder with cheese and extra pickles. The previously healthy, active 15-year-old is now hospitalized and battling kidney failure — a rare and potentially life-threatening complication of E. coli poisoning.
In her first interview about her ordeal, Kamberlyn, a high school freshman, wiped away tears as she summarized how the past few weeks have felt: “Not fun,” she said via Zoom from her hospital room Monday afternoon.
Kamberlyn’s mother, Brittany Randall, said her daughter’s symptoms started this month with a fever and stomach pain. Neither Kamberlyn nor Randall was too concerned at first.
“We both kind of thought I just had a fever, like just the flu or something — a stomach bug,” Kamberlyn said. “But then I started throwing up, having diarrhea, and it was bloody, so it scared me.”
Randall took Kamberlyn to the doctor and then to the emergency room for some scans, which didn’t show anything significant, she said. But back at home, Kamberlyn didn’t get better.
“I think it was day six that she said: ‘Something’s not right. I don’t feel good. I need to go back to the hospital,’” Randall said.
This time, the tests showed something alarming: Kamberlyn had an E. coli infection so severe that she was in renal failure. On Oct. 18, she was airlifted to Children’s Hospital Colorado outside Denver, where she has remained ever since.
“It’s been definitely a roller coaster from the time that we’ve gotten here until now. Every day has been new tests or new things that pop up, or it’s basically watching her body just not work,” Randall told NBC News.
The popular restaurant chain will now sell the Quarter Pounder without the slivered onions at affected locations in the coming week, The Dallas Morning News reported. Out of an abundance of caution, several other fast-food restaurants had removed onions from their menus in certain areas, according to the news outlet.
Here’s what you should know:
What is E. coli?
E. coli (Escherichia coli) is a type of bacteria commonly found in the intestines of humans and animals. The CDC notes that while most E. coli strains are harmless and even beneficial, some can cause serious food poisoning, leading to symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach cramps.
In rare cases, the bacteria can cause bloodstream infections, Dr. Daniel Pastula, a professor of neurology, infectious disease and epidemiology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, told The Dallas Morning News.
What symptoms should you look out for?
Most people who get infected with E. coli have bad stomach cramps, diarrhea (often bloody), and vomiting, according to the CDC.
These symptoms usually start three to four days after ingesting the bacteria and most people recover without treatment in about a week. However, some people can develop serious kidney problems, known as hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which may require hospitalization.
What should businesses do?
Health officials have made it clear that Taylor Farms’ yellow onions should not be served at restaurants.
The CDC insisted that “food service operators should not sell, eat, or serve Taylor Farms’ recalled yellow onions,” adding that “Taylor Farms contacted businesses directly.”
Source of the outbreak
Quarter Pounder hamburgers have been temporarily unavailable in some states after the burgers have been “making people sick,” the CDC said, while McDonald’s makes supply changes.
McDonald’s stores in Colorado, Kansas, Utah, Wyoming, and parts of Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, and Oklahoma have halted the use of Quarter Pounder slivered onions and beef patties.
According to the CDC, Quarter Pound beef patties are only used on Quarter Pounders, and fresh slivered onions are primarily used on Quarter Pounder hamburgers and not other menu items.
What to do if you get sick
The CDC also suggested that if you suspect an E. coli infection, you should call your health care provider if you have severe symptoms, including a high fever over 102°F, diarrhea that lasts more than three days or contains blood, and excessive vomiting that prevents you from keeping liquids down.
Other warning signs include not peeing much, dry mouth and throat, or feeling dizzy when you stand up.
