The CDC reports that 16 people have died due to a listeria outbreak traced to Colorado cantaloupes. It’s being called the deadliest food outbreak in more than a decade.
The death toll released by the CDC Tuesday – including newly confirmed deaths in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Texas – surpassed the number of deaths linked to an outbreak of salmonella in peanuts almost three years ago, where nine people died in that outbreak. In that instance peanut executives where held accountable in a trial that made headlines.
72 illnesses, including the deaths, have been linked to consumption of the fruit spanning across 18 states. Those on the list include California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
Huffpost reports that the outbreak originates from a farm in Colorado.
The outbreak has been traced to Jensen Farms in Holly, Colo., which recalled the tainted cantaloupes earlier this month. The Food and Drug Administration said state health officials had found listeria in cantaloupes taken from grocery stores in the state and from a victim’s home that were grown at Jensen Farms. Matching strains of the disease were found on equipment and cantaloupe samples at Jensen Farms’ packing facility in Granada, Colo.
The tainted cantaloupe were shipped to several states from July 29 through Sept. 10, and may be labeled “Colorado Grown,” `’Distributed by Frontera Produce,” `’Jensenfarms.com” or “Sweet Rocky Fords.” However, not all of the recalled cantaloupes are labeled with a sticker, reports the FDA.
One of the real problems with detection of the illness rises from the long incubation period. Dr. Robert Tauxe of the CDC says the numbers of infected will grow since it can take four weeks or more for a person to start showing symptoms and fall ill after eating the contaminated food.
The pathogen is also resilient and the listeria bacteria can grow in both room temperatures as well as refrigerated temperatures, so along with throwing out the tainted fruit, if exposed, the CDC recommends cleaning and sanitizing any areas the cantaloupe may have touched.
While many adults can consume the bacteria will no ill effects, it can severely impact and kill the elderly, anyone with a compromised immune system, and is dangerous to pregnant women who can pass the bacteria on to the fetus.
Symptoms of listeria include fever and muscle aches, often with other gastrointestinal symptoms. Victims often become incapacitated and unable to speak.
I would be very careful of items that contain cantaloupe until we get the all clear. I would think that it’s not just about purchasing the fruit at the supermarket if you’re not sure of its origin, but there are a lot of items that contain the fruit, like store bought fruit salads, salad bars, packaged parfaits and yogurt blends that come from restaurants and other food stores.
Of course if you think you or someone in the high risk category has come in contact with tainted cantaloupe, contact a health physician and the CDC.
