The McDonald’s E. coli outbreak is getting more severe by the day.
The company just announced that its Quarter Pounders in 12 states after 20 people are hospitalized and one death is reported in relation to the fast food chain’s popular hamburger. The company had previously only pulled the sandwich in Nebraska and Colorado over concern. The chain now faces at least one lawsuit as the number of victims increases.
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Deadly E. Coli Outbreak
As of press timeI illnesses of people have been reported in 13 states, victims aged 13 to 88. The CDC has said that two people have developed a life-threatening kidney condition associated with E. coli called hemolytic uremic syndrome.
The fast food chain had previously voluntarily removing slivered onions, as well as beef patties, in Colorado and Nebraska where illnesses were first reported in customers who recently ate their Quarter Pounder sandwiches. The exact culprit for the outbreak is still unknown.
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The recall of the fast food burgers comes after 75 people have fallen ill, with 20 people having to be hospitalized for the illness and one senior citizen passing away. The outbreak has also forced Yum Brands (Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and KFC) and Burger King to pull onions from their sandwiches out of an "abundance of caution."
The states affected by the recall are Colorado, Kansas, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico and Oklahoma.
The company says that no other hamburger items have been affected by the outbreak.
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While it's not confirmed, the FDA says that early information analyzed shows that uncooked slivered onions on the burgers are "likely" the source of contamination.
McDonald's faces its first lawsuit was filed by a customer in Colorado named Eric Stelly who says he fell ill after eating at a McDonald's location near his home. Colorado is the state that has the most cases of E. coli, with 26; Montana has 13 and Nebraska 11.
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