The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has warned people to avoid eating certain cantaloupe products. The CDC has linked a salmonella outbreak to cantaloupes, which has resulted in at least two deaths in the U.S..
- 117 illnesses
- 61 hospitalizations
- 2 deaths
- 18 new illnesses reported since November 24
The CDC has recalled several varieties of whole and pre-cut cantaloupe products. The brands included in the recall are: Trufresh, Crown Jewels, Pacific Trellis, Malichita, Rudy.
The CDC warns people to avoid eating pre-cut cantaloupe if the brand is not known. Affected whole cantaloupes might have a sticker that says “Malichita” or “Rudy,” with the number 4050, and “Product of Mexico/produit du Mexique”.
Symptoms of salmonella include: Diarrhea, Fever, Stomach cramps. Symptoms can set in anywhere from six hours to six days after eating contaminated food. People should call their doctor right away if they have diarrhea and a fever higher than 102°.
The severity of this outbreak is due to a rare strain of salmonella that MDH Epidemiologist Carlota Medus says the illness is infecting people from the age of one to 91. “That’s concerning,” said Medus. “That’s a lot of people getting sick from it.”
Medus says genetic testing identified the similar strain locally that also matches the bacteria of whole and cut cantaloupe products made in Mexico which prompted federal officials to recall several brands with Malichita and Rudy brand labels. It also includes cubes and medleys sold in the Vinyard and RaceTrac brands.
Despite the recall, the number of cases continues to grow across the country. “There is a delay between the time people get sick and the time we find out about them,” said Medus. “The part we don’t know is are we seeing new cases that were exposed recently.”
She said it’s also possible there’s cross-contamination between other products during mass processing, which is part of what’s called the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s traceback investigation.
“Which is ultimately taking that food item from the store shelf or the restaurant where you might have eaten it, all the way back to where it was grown,” said Alida Siebert, the department’s response and outreach supervisor. “There are boots on the ground, of course, at any facilities where this product might be.”
Most cases involve symptoms like diarrhea, nausea and fever which is spread by feces, particularly amongst the fruit that’s grown on the ground.
“Especially where there’s critters about,” said Seibert. “You can wash produce, but that doesn’t always guarantee you’re going to wash off all the salmonella and if you think about the surface of a cantaloupe, it’s pretty rough.”
Their best advice is to cooperate with officials if you get sick to help pinpoint a source and to avoid certain cantaloupe altogether as that investigation continues. “Because if we don’t have a starting point, it’s really difficult to keep looking for the product,” said Siebert.
Medus says if you have symptoms that last longer than a couple of days go to the doctor. She also notes that the young and old, and people with compromised immune symptoms, are most at risk.
