McDonald’s E. Coli cases confirmed in El Paso, Teller, Chaffee counties

COLORADO (KRDO) - The Colorado Department of Public Health Department confirmed cases of E. Coli tied to McDonald's Quarter Pounders in El Paso, Teller and Chaffee counties.

Officials have confirmed that the death tied to this E. Coli outbreak was in Mesa County.

Health officials are also investigating E. Coli cases in Arapahoe, Gunnison, Larimer, Mesa, Routt and Weld.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention say that an E. coli outbreak has infected 26 people, and killed one person, in Colorado. The infections apparently trace back to patients eating quarter pounders from McDonald's.

KRDO13 has learned the elderly man who died is from the Western Slope. Health officials say that just because a case is confirmed in a county it doesn't mean the person ate at a McDonald's there.

Initial investigations by the CDC and McDonald's have stated that the outbreak seems to have been rooted in the slivered onions that are used on the burgers.

KRDO13 has not yet been able to learn what counties or McDonald's locations have the contamination in Colorado. The person who died was apparently an elderly man in the Centennial State.

The CDC initially announced on Tuesday that 49 people across 10 states in the Midwest were reporting cases of E. coli. The ages of those infected ranged from 13 to 88 years old.

The agency says that 26 of those cases reside in Colorado. The next highest number of cases is nine in Nebraska, along with four each in Wyoming and Utah.

According to the CDC, illnesses were first reported on September 27, with the most recent coming on October 11. Of 28 patients with information available on Tuesday, 10 had been hospitalized and one person developed Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome, a serious condition that can cause kidney failure.

E. coli can cause symptoms of fever, stomach cramps, diarrhea, and vomiting, and in some cases death.

"Food safety is so important to me, and everyone at McDonald's," explained Joe Erlinger, the President of McDonald's USA in a video statement Tuesday afternoon, published within a press release about the situation.

Erlinger explains that they have now removed any Quarterpounder products from their menus until further notice.

"The decision to do this is not one we take lightly, and it was made in close consultation with the CDC." the President added in the video.

In their press release, McDonald's North America Chief Supply Chain Officer Cesar Piña wrote "The initial findings from the investigation indicate that a subset of illnesses may be linked to slivered onions used in the Quarter Pounder and sourced by a single supplier that serves three distribution centers."

The CDC says that it can take three to four weeks to determine if a sick person is part of an outbreak, meaning the number of cases of E. coli infections is likely much higher than it currently is.

They urge that if you ate a quarter-pounder burger recently and think you may be falling ill to please contact your local health provider.