McDonald’s Quarter Pounders linked to deadly E coli outbreak in US

A severe Escherichia coli (E coli) outbreak tied to McDonald’s Quarter Pounders sickened dozens of people in the US, mainly in Colorado and Nebraska, and killed one, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said.

Ten people have been hospitalised, including a child with complications from HUS, a syndrome that damages small blood vessels and can lead to deadly clots, the agency said.

Of the people who have been interviewed, all reported eating at McDonald’s before falling ill between September 27 and October 11, the CDC said, with most specifying a Quarter Pounder.

Twenty-six cases have been reported in Colorado, the state’s health department said. One older person with underlying conditions in Colorado has died after contracting E coli, according to the statement, and state public health officials are coordinating with the CDC.

McDonald’s said it was taking “swift and decisive action” to control the outbreak. It removed the Quarter Pounder from restaurants in the affected areas and instructed all local restaurants to remove the slivered onions that it identified as the likely culprit from their supply chains.

“We are working in close partnership with our suppliers to replenish supply for the Quarter Pounder in the coming weeks,” the company said in a statement. All of its other menu items remain available, it said.