Los Angeles, October 23 (IANS). An E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounder burgers in the US has sickened 49 people, including one who died. This information was given by America’s National Public Health Agency.
According to Xinhua news agency, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a news release on Tuesday that the E. coli O157:H7 outbreak has so far infected 49 people in 10 states, with the majority of patients in Colorado and Are in nebraska.
The agency said that 28 people in whom this disease has been found. Of them, 10 have been hospitalized and one has developed hemolytic uremic syndrome. Due to this reason, kidney can also fail. An elderly man died of this disease in Colorado.
According to the CDC’s rapidly ongoing outbreak investigation, most of the sick people are reporting eating McDonald’s Quarter Pounder hamburgers. Also, investigators are working quickly to confirm which food item is contaminated.
The agency said, “The actual number of people sick in this outbreak is likely to be much higher than the number reported. This outbreak may not be limited to states with known diseases. This is because so many people are without medical care. recover and are not tested for E. coli.”
It also said that recent illnesses may not yet be reported, as it usually takes three to four weeks to determine whether a sick person is infected.
“As a result, and consistent with our safety protocols, all local restaurants have been instructed to remove this product from their supply and we have ceased distribution of all cut onions in the affected area,” McDonald’s said. He added that it is temporarily removing the Quarter Pounder from restaurants in the affected area, including Colorado, Kansas, Utah and Wyoming, as well as parts of Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico and Oklahoma .
McDonald’s shares fell more than nine percent in after-hours trading Tuesday after the CDC announced the E. coli outbreak.
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