A foodborne illness outbreak tied to salads served at McDonald’s restaurants in the Midwest has grown to 507 confirmed cases reported by 15 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
That’s 221 more illnesses than the total less than a month ago when the Food and Drug Administration traced the Cyclospora outbreak to a Fresh Express processor in Streamwood, Ill.
The sickened customers range in age from 14 to 91 years old, the CDC said. At least 24 people have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.
The July outbreak forced Chicago-based McDonald’s Corp. to temporarily halt salad sales at 3,000 restaurants that were mostly in the Midwest. Federal health officials said the 507 people with confirmed cases of Cyclospora consumed salads from McDonald’s restaurants. The cases were reported by 15 states and New York City. However, those who reported their illness in Connecticut, New York City, Tennessee, and Virginia purchased salads while traveling in Illinois.
FDA said the probe is ongoing; the agency is still working to determine which ingredients in the salads caused the outbreak.
The illnesses started on or after May 20, 2018.
McDonald’s told the FDA weeks ago that it had stopped using the Fresh Express salad mix on July 13 at impacted restaurants in Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, North Dakota, South Dakota, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Cyclospora is a microscopic parasite that can cause an intestinal illness if ingested from contaminated food or water. Most people infected with Cyclospora develop severe diarrhea. Other common symptoms include loss of appetite, weight loss, stomach cramps/pain, bloating, increased gas, nausea and fatigue. Vomiting, body aches, headache, fever and other flu-like symptoms may be noted.
The latest update on the illnesses tied to McDonald’s salads comes as New York health officials probe illnesses tied to 22 people who say they ate at a McDonald’s in Jamestown, N.Y.
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