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Update: Cantaloupe Death Toll Rises To 23

Raishad M. Hardnett |
October 11, 2011 | 1:34 a.m. PDT

Staff Reporter

Cantaloupe. (Creative Commons)
Cantaloupe. (Creative Commons)
As expected, the death toll from the Listeria-infected cantaloupe of Jensen Farms continues to grow.

On Oct. 12, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported two new deaths in Louisiana; in addition to the deaths reported on Oct. 8 in New York, Indiana, and Wyoming (as well as the ones reported before that in Colorado, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas), the total of fatalies now amounts to 23 -- making this outbreak the largest listeria epidemic since 1985.

The CDC also states that spread of the virus has sickened a total of 116 others across 24 states. 

Jensen Farms, a family farm based in Holly, Colorado, shipped the tainted produce between the dates of July 29 and Sept. 10. Packages have been sold and resold, so other companies may have unknowingly distributed the fruit as well since then; Fruit Fresh Up, of Depew, New York, serves as an example of a company that recalled 4,800 packages of cantaloupe just to be cautious.

Fortunately, with a shelf life of about two weeks, the cantaloupe should be out of the stores by now.

Still, consumers of cantaloupe should remain cautious, as the symptoms of the disease, which include muscle aches, fever, nausea, diarrhea, and other gastrointestinal issues, can take up to two months to show.

Listeria, more deadly than both salmonella and E. coli, is a food-borne illness caused by bacteria found in water and soil – rare in its ability to grow at refrigerated temperatures. Although the disease itself is not particular to any one group of people, it is most lethal among pregnant women, elderly people, fetuses, and those with weak immune systems.

To reduce the risk of infection, the Food and Drug Administration warns consumers to keep their refrigerators set at or beneath 40 degrees Fahrenheit, clean their fridges often, and wash fresh produce.


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