Deadly E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald's Quarter Pounders sickens 49 people in 10 states
Washington (AP/PTI): E. coli food poisoning linked to McDonald's Quarter Pounder hamburgers has sickened at least 49 people in 10 states, including one person who died and 10 who were hospitalized, federal health officials said Tuesday.
The death was reported in an older person in Colorado, and one child has been hospitalized with severe kidney complications, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.
Infections were reported between Sept. 27 and Oct. 11, in Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oregon, Utah, Wyoming and Wisconsin. Colorado has the most cases, 27, followed by Nebraska with nine.
Everyone interviewed in connection with the outbreak had reported eating at McDonald's before falling ill and most mentioned eating Quarter Pounder hamburgers, the CDC said. The US Agriculture Department, the Food and Drug Administration and state health officials are also investigating.
The specific ingredient tied to the outbreak has not been identified, but investigators are focused on onions and beef. McDonald's reported to the CDC that it had removed slivered onions and beef patties used for Quarter Pounders from stores in the affected states. The burgers may be temporarily unavailable in those states.
E. coli bacteria are harbored in guts of animals and found in the environment. Infections can cause severe illness, including fever, stomach cramps and bloody diarrhea.
People who develop symptoms of E. coli poisoning should seek health care immediately and tell the provider what they ate.
The Associated Press has reached out to McDonald's for comment.
The news comes in an already tough year for the Chicago-based chain. Its global same-store sales fell for the first time in nearly four years in the second quarter as inflation-weary customers skipped eating out or chose cheaper options. The company responded with a $5 meal deal, which was introduced at U.S. restaurants in late June and was recently extended through December. The deal doesn't include the Quarter Pounder.
McDonald's shares dropped 9% in after-hours trading Tuesday after the CDC's announcement.
The type of bacteria implicated in this outbreak, E. coli O157:H7, causes about 74,000 infections in the US each year, leading to more than 2,000 hospitalizations and 61 deaths. Infections are especially dangerous for children younger than 5 and can cause acute kidney failure.
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Karnataka Governor gives assent to legislation against ‘honour killing’ in inter-caste marriages
Bengaluru: The government has brought into force the Karnataka Freedom of Choice in Marriage and Prevention and Prohibition of Crimes in the name of honour and tradition (Eva Nammava Eva Nammava) Act, 2026, intended to restrict ‘honour killings’ in inter-caste marriages.
According to The Indian Express, the legislation received assent from Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot on April 9 and was officially notified in the state gazette on April 10. The law had been passed unanimously by the state legislature last month.
The Bill was proposed by the Congress government in the wake of caste-linked ‘honour killings’ in the state, including the December 21, 2025, murder near Hubli of a 20-year-old Lingayat woman by her father for marrying a man from another caste.
The phrase ‘Eva Nammava Eva Nammava’ in the title is in reference to the message of universal humanity that the Lingayat saint Basavanna espoused. Basavanna, who rebelled against the caste system to lay the foundation of the Lingayat faith system, an amalgamation of all castes, used the words meaning ‘he is a part of me’ to say all people are one.
Under the new law, crimes committed in the name of ‘honour’, including murder, assault, threats, and social boycott, are specifically addressed with stringent punishments. ‘Honour killing’ offences carry a minimum imprisonment of five years, while serious assaults attract at least three years in jail.
The new law defines the social boycott of inter-caste couples as forcible eviction to remote corners of villages, refusal to provide services, refusal to provide work, refusal to conduct business, denial of loans and admissions to schools, and makes it punishable.
In the case of ‘honour killings’ per se, the new law prescribes a minimum imprisonment of five years, and in the case of assaults, a prison term that is not less than three years for serious injury and two years for minor injuries.
The offences under the proposed law are cognisable and non-bailable, which means police can carry out arrests without court permissions after taking up a case.
The legislation follows several reported inter-caste relationship-related killings in Karnataka in 2025, including cases in Raichur and another involving 18-year-old Kavita.
The law to protect the freedom of choice in marriages is among several social bills that the Congress government has brought out in line with its policies for the backward and downtrodden communities in the state.
