WPBN: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Tuesday that the E. coli epidemic that caused at least 30 illnesses and one fatality in Colorado is now resolved.
The outbreak caused 34 hospitalizations in 14 states and 104 illnesses nationwide. In Mesa County, an elderly person passed away.
According to a U.S. Food and Drug Administration assessment, the incident was most likely caused by sliced onions in McDonald’s Quarter Pounder hamburgers. Taylor Farms, located in California, supplied the vegetables, which was shipped to at least 12 states.
McDonald’s promptly ceased using the impacted onions after Taylor Farms started a voluntary recall of them on October 22. In the restaurants where it briefly ceased offering Quarter Pounders, the restaurant chain is now using sliced onions from a different supplier.
81 affected individuals were interviewed by state and local health officials. Of those, 63 stated they had eaten something containing sliced onions, and 80 claimed they had eaten at McDonald’s before being ill.
According to the FDA, the incident no longer poses a risk to food safety.
“We are appreciative of the collaboration of our local public health partners, other state health departments, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and industry. This partnership allowed for a swift outbreak response, identification of the source of illness, and removal of contaminated product from McDonald’s restaurants,” state epidemiologist Dr. Rachel Herlihy Stated. “We are grateful to the people impacted who answered the phone when we called to conduct case investigations. The information gleaned from those interviews allowed for a quick, successful outbreak investigation, and helped prevent additional illnesses.”
