Reported case linked to McDonald’s outbreak, CDC says

An E. coli outbreak linked to ground onions on McDonald’s Quarter Pounder cheeseburgers has reached North Carolina.

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), at least one case has been detected in the state. The CDC did not provide a specific location as to where the case was, but said it could take anywhere between three and four weeks to determine whether a case is linked to the outbreak.

A McDonald’s spokesperson told WRAL News that the CDC tied the reported cases to the residence and not where the resident ate, adding that no restaurants in North Carolina were affected by the outbreak.

The CDC began investigating the outbreak in October after several people became ill after eating burgers from the fast-food chain. On Wednesday, one person died and 34 people were hospitalized.

The CDC traced the outbreak back to Taylor Farms, which supplied the onions to several McDonald’s restaurants, mostly in the Midwest and further west.

In response, McDonald’s pulled the onions from their burgers as a precaution, and Taylor Farms issued a recall of the onions. McDonald’s restaurants in Colorado resumed selling Quarter Pounders in late October after several beef patties tested negative for the bacteria.

While McDonald’s does not sell the onions on its burgers, attorney John McCabe said the company could still face legal challenges.

“People have an obligation to sell safe food and they have an obligation to sell safe products,” he said. “When that doesn’t happen, they are exposed to liability.”

The CDC said that because the onions were recalled and are no longer available to sell to food service operators, it is not necessary to avoid eating onions or other foods made with onions. The Food and Drug Administration also confirmed there is no concern, adding that all confirmed cases, including the one in North Carolina, occurred before the fast-food chain removed the onions.

“There does not appear to be an ongoing food safety concern related to this outbreak at McDonald’s restaurants,” the FDA said in a statement to WRAL News.

The company is facing a class action lawsuit seeking more than $5 million in damages for victims.

“When you have one of these cases, it’s not just the McDonald’s franchise on the corner, it’s all the way up the chain,” McCabe said.

The CDC said people should see a doctor if they experience severe E. coli symptoms, including:

• Diarrhea and fever higher than 102°F.
• Diarrhea for more than three days that does not improve.
• Bloody diarrhea.
• So much vomiting that fluids do not stay down.
• Signs of dehydration such as:
  • Not peeing as much.
  • Dry mouth and throat.
  • Feeling dizzy when standing up.