The state with the most illnesses identified so far is Colorado, with 26 cases. Others have become ill in Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. The person who died was in Colorado. The onset of illness has ranged from Sept. 27 to Oct. 16. More recent illnesses may not have been reported yet because it can take weeks to connect individual cases to a larger outbreak, and most people who fall ill aren’t tested.
While E. coli can be eliminated from burger patties and other food if they’re cooked until they reach 160° F, “onions or lettuce, or any other fresh produce that’s contaminated and not cooked, could make you ill,” says James E. Rogers, PhD, director of food safety and testing at CR.
McDonald’s had stopped selling Quarter Pounders in Colorado, Kansas, Utah, and Wyoming, as well as in parts of Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. But with the new information about the source of the contamination, the company says it will soon begin selling the burgers again. In the restaurants that had been using Taylor Farms slivered onions, the burgers will be sold without them.
