For many years McDonalds has been an American favorite when it comes to fast food. It has been a cheap and easy meal that comes with a toy. Now, our once beloved fast food chain has allegedly subjected 13 states to a deadly disease.

According to the CDC, E. coli infections could have started anywhere between September 27th – October 10th, across 13 states.  

In the US people have contracted E. coli after eating McDonalds’ Quarter Pounder. So far, 75 people have been affected, 22 hospitalized and one dead. 

What exactly is contaminated hasn’t been discovered yet, although there are some theories, and McDonalds is trying tirelessly to figure out what is infected so their sales can go back to normal. 

McDonalds has taken all of their Quarter Pounders off the menu for public safety. 

The president of McDonalds, Joe Erlinger, has made a statement on the current situation on the McDonalds website: 

Allegedly, McDonalds has blamed the slivered onions supplied from Taylor Farms for their current predicament. Other fast food chains including Burger king and Taco bell have pulled slivered onions from their menus as the investigation continues. 

According to the CDC, Taylor Farms has issued a voluntary recall of their onions and advises anyone who has bought the onions to not consume them. Although the CDC has made a statement that the  risk of infection is very low at this time. 

Even though the slivered onions have taken the blame, another one of McDonalds’ main suppliers, Tyson Fresh Meats, allegedly has had multiple recalls for contamination in their meat products. In June 2015, 15,000 pounds of ground beef was recalled for possible E. coli contamination. They were sued in September of 2011 for a child testing positive for E. coli after eating Tyson beef, with 9-13 samples allegedly tested positive for E. coli. And most recently, Tyson recalled over 8 million pounds of their chicken for possible listeria contamination.  

Should you feel any concerning symptoms of E. coli please contact your healthcare provider. 

While risk is low and McDonalds is trying their best to prevent further infection, try your best to stay away from their food, because you won’t know if you’re infected until it’s too late. 

Symptoms of E. coli: 

• Severe vomiting 
• Bloody diarrhea that lasts more than 3 days 
• Fever higher than 102℉ 
•  Severe dehydration

The states that have been infected:

Washington, Oregon, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin, and  Michigan