These contaminated cantaloupes containing salmonella has sickened 13 people in five states according to the CDC. If you suspect that you may have purchased recalled cantaloupes, the CDC recommends disposing of them in sealed plastic bags, to prevent children or animals from eating the affected fruit. Find out more info after the jump!
Five people in Oregon, four in Washington State, two in California, one in Colorado, and one in Maryland have become ill. Of the 13 patients, three have been hospitalized; none have died, according to the CDC’s website.
“This is a multi-state outbreak of Salmonella Panama,” said Dr. Ian Williams, chief of the outbreak response and prevention branch of the CDC. “It is an unusual [type of salmonella], and it’s a really unusual occurence to have this many cases at once, so we figured that everyone who was sick had something in common.” That something, he said, was cantaloupe.
On March 22, the Del Monte Fresh Produce company voluntarily recalled almost 5,000 cartons of cantaloupes because of concerns that the melons were contaminated with salmonella. The recalled cantaloupes were distributed through wholesale warehouse clubs in Alaska, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington, according to the CDC.
“The recalled products consist of cartons of cantaloupes, each containing four plastic mesh sleeves with three cantaloupes per sleeve that were available for sale between March 10 and March 21, 2011,” according to a press release from the agency.
Salmonella typically causes unpleasant to severe gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fevers. It is rarely life threatening when treated quickly in otherwise healthy individuals.
