Several people have been hospitalized with E. coli from a popular McDonald's product.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, 49 people across 10 states have become sick after they ate a quarter pounder hamburger from the fast food chain.
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Ten people have been hospitalized and one person died from complications from the bacterial infection.
While health officials are tracing the bacteria back to this food, which they believe came from the burger's sliced onions, Dorlisa Ferguson is steering clear of the Quarter Pounder to stay safe.
"That is exactly why I do not eat fast food burgers and haven’t eaten them more in 10 years," said Ferguson, who lives in Garner.
Local doctors, including Harnett Health System Pediatrician Dr. Lori Langdon, warn that the symptoms from this specific strain are particularly severe.
"Severe stomach cramping, bloody diarrhea, recurring severe vomiting, so severe it’s easy to become dehydrated," Langdon said.
She says E. coli is the bacteria that they worry about.
"This happens periodically so it’s not terribly unusual but it’s concerning," Langdon said.
The CDC said the majority of the cases are in Colorado and Nebraska, and investigators are working to confirm which ingredient is contaminated.
"With listeria, we worry more about infections in people who are immunocompromised, generally and with E.coli it can generally infect anyone and can cause dramatic symptoms," Langdon said.
McDonald’s responded to the E. coli break by saying:
"A subset of illnesses may be linked to slivered onions used in the Quarter Pounder and sourced by a single supplier that serves three distribution centers, all local restaurants have been instructed to remove this product from their supply and we have paused the distribution of all slivered onions in the impacted area," statement from McDonalds.
As of Tuesday, North Carolina has no infections related to the outbreak.
The CDC urged resident to contact their healthcare provider if they at the burger and have severe E. coli symptoms. Those symptoms include:
- Diarrhea and a fever higher than 102.
- Diarrhea for more than three days that is not improving.
- Bloody diarrhea.
- Diarrhea for more than three days that is not improving.
- So much vomiting that you cannot keep liquids down.
- Signs of dehydration, such as:
- Not peeing much.
- Dry mouth and throat.
- Feeling dizzy when standing up.
- Not peeing much.
The outbreak comes as several companies are dealing with possible listeria contamination. BrucePac recalled more than 11.7 million pounds of meat and poultry over possible listeria concerns.
Earlier Tuesday, TreeHouse Foods Inc. recalled all of their frozen pancake and frozen waffle products, many of which are in several popular grocery stores.
For the full information on the CDC outbreak, click here.