In the United States, at least 104 people have fallen ill after eating at McDonald’s, with 34 of them being hospitalized. The E. coli outbreak at the fast-food chain is likely linked to the onions served with the hamburgers, according to the CDC.
Tests conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found a strain of E. coli bacteria that produces a dangerous toxin in one sample of onions, but it did not match the strain responsible for the illnesses, officials reported.
The onions served at McDonald’s have since passed their expiration date and are no longer on sale. The CDC has stated that the risk to the public remains low. According to the CDC, the type of bacteria involved in this outbreak causes around 74,000 infections in the US annually, resulting in over 2,000 hospitalizations and 61 deaths each year.
