(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — At least 49 people across 10 states were sickened with E. coli food poisoning after eating McDonald’s Quarter Pounder hamburgers, including one person who died and 10 others who were hospitalized, federal health officials said Tuesday.
The death was reported in an older person in Colorado, and one child has been hospitalized with severe kidney complications, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported.
Most of the illnesses are reportedly being tallied in Nebraska and Colorado.
Joe Erlinger, the president of McDonald's USA, released a video in which he said the focus is on onions used in the burgers on Tuesday.
“After a close consultation with regulatory authorities including, the CDC, [U.S. Department of Agriculture] and [Food and Drug Administration],” he said. “We've taken steps to proactively remove slivered onions, which are used in quarter pounders from restaurants in select states. We also made the decision to temporarily remove the Quarter Pounder from restaurants in select states.”
WBBM Newsradio has contacted the Illinois Department of Public Health to see if anyone has gotten sick from eating McDonald's Quarter Pounders locally.
The news came in an already tough year for the Chicago-based chain. Its global same-store sales fell for the first time in nearly four years in the second quarter as inflation-weary customers skipped eating out or chose cheaper options. The company responded with a $5 meal deal, which was introduced at U.S. restaurants in late June and was recently extended through December. The deal doesn't include the Quarter Pounder.
McDonald's shares dropped 9% in after-hours trading Tuesday after the CDC's announcement.
The type of bacteria implicated in this outbreak, E. coli O157:H7, causes about 74,000 infections in the U.S. each year, leading to more than 2,000 hospitalizations and 61 deaths. Infections are especially dangerous for children younger than 5 and can cause acute kidney failure.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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