One person dies from an E. coli outbreak in McDonald’s hamburgers in the US

The United States is investigating an E. coli outbreak related to hamburgers from the McDonald’s fast food chain that has already caused one death and a dozen hospitalizations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported this Tuesday a food safety alert for this outbreak, which is apparently linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounder burgers.

According to data managed by the CDC, 49 cases of this outbreak have already been recorded in the United States. “The majority of people affected by this outbreak report eating Quarter Pounder burgers at McDonald’s before becoming ill,” the CDC says in a statement.

Although it is not yet known for certain which specific ingredient is contaminated, McDonald’s states that “it may be related to the sliced ​​onions used in [la hamburguesa] Quarter of a pound and obtained by a single supplier that provides services to three distribution centers.” Information reviewed by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also shows that sliced ​​onions are a likely source of contamination, according to CNN.

The fast food chain has stopped using fresh sliced ​​onions and quarter-pound beef patties in several states as the investigation continues. According to information published by The Guardian, these burgers have been temporarily removed from restaurants in a dozen states: Colorado, Kansas, Utah, Wyoming and parts of Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico and Oklahoma .

A child among those hospitalized

According to CNN, among the ten people who have been hospitalized there is a child, and most of the infections have occurred in the states of Colorado and Nebraska, although it cannot be ruled out that the outbreak affects more states.

The CDC recommends that people who have eaten these burgers and suffer from “severe” symptoms of E. coli, such as fever, prolonged diarrhea, vomiting or signs of dehydration, see a doctor. According to the CDC, most people “recover without treatment after five to seven days,” although occasionally the infection can lead to serious complications such as hemolytic uremic syndrome, which may require hospitalization.

McDonald’s stock price has fallen more than 5% in after-hours trading on Tuesday.