A deadly E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald‘s Quarter Pounders has led to 75 cases in 13 states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday, because it investigates the source of the spread.Â
The outbreak has led to 22 hospitalizations and one previously reported death of an older adult in Colorado.
Out of 61 patients with information available, 22 have been hospitalized and two people have developed a serious condition that may cause kidney failure, called hemolytic uremic syndrome. All the 42 individuals who were interviewed by the CDC reported eating at McDonald’s, while 39 people reported eating a beef hamburger, the agency said.
Those with infections ranged between ages 13 and 88, in accordance with the CDC. The agency reiterated that the variety of cases within the outbreak is probably going much higher than what has been reported thus far. The CDC added that the outbreak might not be limited to the states with related cases. That’s because many patients don’t test for E. coli and recuperate from an infection without receiving medical care, the CDC said. It also often takes three to 4 weeks to find out if a sick person is a component of an outbreak.
Shares of the restaurant chain closed down 3% on Friday. The stock has fallen 7% for the reason that CDC announced the outbreak on Tuesday, initially citing 49 cases and one death across 10 states.
McDonald’s declined to comment on the update, citing the corporate’s statement when the outbreak was first announced.
Quarter Pounder hamburgers are a core menu item for McDonald’s, raking in billions of dollars annually.
Health officials are closely examining the slivered onions utilized in the Quarter Pounder as a probable contaminant. McDonald’s has instructed restaurants within the affected area to remove slivered onions from their supply, and has paused the distribution of that ingredient within the region.
McDonald’s stores in Colorado, Kansas, Utah, Wyoming in addition to parts of Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, Recent Mexico and Oklahoma have temporarily stopped using Quarter Pounder slivered onions and beef patties, in accordance with the CDC.
McDonald’s identified California-based produce giant Taylor Farms because the supplier for the sliced onions the corporate faraway from its supply chain. Taylor Farms has issued a recall on 4 raw onion products as a consequence of potential E. coli contamination. Burger King, Pizza Hut, KFC and Taco Bell have pulled onions from select restaurants in response to the outbreak.
But federal agencies are also investigating the Quarter Pounder’s beef patty as a possible wrongdoer.
Because the CDC and other federal agencies trace cases and work to contain the outbreak, McDonald’s has pulled Quarter Pounders from restaurants within the affected areas. Around a fifth of McDonald’s U.S. restaurants usually are not selling Quarter Pounder burgers.
McDonald’s spokespeople said Wednesday that it is just too early to inform if the outbreak is having any effect on traffic to its restaurants.
The corporate is anticipated to report its third-quarter earnings on Tuesday and will share more details with investors concerning the situation on the conference call.
The outbreak comes after several quarters of sluggish U.S. sales for McDonald’s. Price-sensitive consumers haven’t been visiting restaurants as much, leading McDonald’s and other fast-food chains to show to value meals to spice up sales. Wall Street analysts expect the corporate to report U.S. same-store sales growth of 0.5% for the third quarter, in accordance with StreetAccount estimates.
For now, McDonald’s is attempting to reassure customers that its menu items are suitable for eating and drink and that it’s taking the outbreak seriously. Experts told CNBC that barring a more serious crisis, the damage to its brand could also be minimal, as with an E. coli outbreak linked to Wendy’s two years ago.
