Federal health officials have updated the number of illnesses linked to the McDonald’s listeria outbreak, reporting that 104 people have become ill from eating Quarter Pounders. The burger’s slivered onions were tainted with the pathogen.
One person died after eating the burger while 34 of the 104 who became ill required hospitalization.
McDonald’s temporarily pulled its Quarter Pounder from the menu in the affected states before returning it without the onions. The onions came from one supplier, Taylor Farms. The supplier issued a recall for its yellow onions and McDonald’s switched to a different onion supplier for the affected region.
“Affected onions served at McDonald's locations were recalled and are past shelf life,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in its latest update. “Our investigation remains open to investigate any other illnesses which occurred when the onions were available at McDonald’s. CDC continues to believe the risk to the public is low.”
McDonald’s initially responded to the outbreak by removing the Quarter Pounder at 900 outlets in Colorado, Kansas, and Wyoming, as well as portions of Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Utah.
A concerning fact about listeria is that it can take weeks before symptoms appear. That’s one reason federal and state health officials continue to urge McDonald’s customers to report any symptoms that might be linked to the outbreak.
Symptoms of listeria include fever, headaches, fatigue and intestinal distress. People with strong immune systems generally recover quickly but the very old, very young and pregnant women may be at higher risk.