People ordering salad in McDonald's might want to rethink their decision because it has caused an outbreak of intestinal illness in over 160 people.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 163 people across 14 states have been diagnosed with the cyclospora parasite after eating the famous fast food chain's salad. To prevent more cases of the multi-state outbreak, the salads were pulled out from 3,000 of its locations across America.
According to a statement by the fast food chain officials, it has decided to remove its salads in states that were identified by the CDC and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Furthermore, McDonald's will replace it with a different supplier.
Cyclosporiasis Outbreak
Additionally, CDC said that the cases of laboratory-confirmed cases in which people have become ill due to the parasite increased from 227 to 237.
When the public health officials in Iowa and Illinois have announced the reported cases were linked to the McDonald's restaurants' lettuce blend, it prompted the chain to pull out its salads in its Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Illinois, Michigan, Nebraska, North Dakota, Missouri, Minnesota, Montana, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and West Virginia stores.
In a statement by the Illinois Department of Public Health, around 25 percent of the 90 cases of cyclosporiasis ate the salad before they got sick. The same findings were made by the public health officials from Iowa.
Medical director of the state health department Patricia Quinlisk said that the office has identified 15 people who ate the salad in late June to early July prior to getting sick.
Illinois and Iowa public health authorities previously warned its people about the recent cyclospora outbreak mostly caused by salads.
Furthermore, CDC stated that because the chain proactively removed its salads from the identified states, the likelihood for consumers to be sick when they eat out of those locations is not high.
About The Illness
Cyclosporiasis is caused when cyclospora cayetanensis, a parasite which can contaminate water and food through feces, is ingested. The symptoms of the illness will appear in around seven days after the infection happened, said CDC.
Many cases of cyclosporiasis have been reported in the country since May. Last June, Del Monte, a company which distributes vegetables and fruits, pulled out prepackaged vegetable trays which contains carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, dill dip, and celery sticks from a number of retailers when a couple of residents in Minnesota, Michigan, Iowa, and Wisconsin were reported to have suffered from the sickness.
