Fact Sheets : Hamburger Disease: Prevention is Best
A mother on Wednesday filed a complaint against McDonalds Korea, claiming her daughter was diagnosed with the "hamburger disease" after eating a burger with an undercooked patty in one of its outlets.
"The 4-year-old victim had no health problems, but caught hemolytic uremic syndrome after eating a McDonald's hamburger,"
"McDonald's has been aware of the risk of undercooked meat. But it failed to properly cook the patty, nor did it provide any notification in advance of such a possibility when selling the Happy Meal children's option," she said.
The complaint claims McDonald's violated local food safety rules by serving contaminated meat that was not fully cooked.
The plaintiff also made a tearful plea, asking state prosecutors to investigate and hold McDonald's Korea responsible for her daughter, who has suffered irreversible damage to her kidneys and must undergo eight to 10 hours of peritoneal dialysis on a daily basis.
What causes Hamburger Disease?
A bacterial germ called E.Coli-0157 causes of the so called "hamburger disease/infection". This bacteria is found in the intestines of cows and contaminates ground beef. The infection is contracted by eating undercooked ground beef which contains this bacterium. E.coli 0157 can also infect humans if it gets into the drinking or pool water. This infection tends to occur more during the summer months.
What are the symptoms of Hamburger Disease infection?
The usual symptoms are diarrhea with some blood in it and severe abdominal pain. The reason that this infection can be dangerous is that in 2-7% of people (mostly the young or very old), a complication called Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS) can occur within a week or tw0 after the initial infection. HUS is caused by a toxin made by the bacteria called a verotoxin which causes the red blood cells to break down, resulting in severe anemia and the need for transfusion. This toxin also shuts down the kidneys causing kidney failure which in many cases requires dialysis. Unfortunately, HUS has a mortality rate of close to 5%. Among the survivors there can be a high rate of long term complications.
Is there a specific test for this infection?
Doctors cannot make this diagnosis just by the symptoms. However, A stool test can easily confirm that a person is infected with this particular bacteria.
What is the treatment?
Unfortunately, there currently is no specific effective treatment for this infection. Antibiotics do not help. Recently there have been some studies on a medication given to people that have the infection which tries to absorb the toxin before it causes damage. The studies are ongoing and so far inconclusive. Prevention of this infection is our best defense.