Death toll reaches 13 in cantaloupe-related listeriosis utbreak – KRTV Great Falls News
The death toll from an outbreak of listeriosis has now reached 13, and 72 people have been infected with the disease.
Outbreak-related strains of the disease have been reported in 18 states.
The 13 deaths have been reported in the following states: 2 in Colorado, 1 in Kansas, 1 in Maryland, 1 in Missouri, 1 in Nebraska, 4 in New Mexico, 1 in Oklahoma, and 2 in Texas.
The number of infected people identified in each state is as follows: California (1), Colorado (15), Florida (1), Illinois (1), Indiana (2), Kansas (5), Maryland (1), Missouri (1), Montana (1), Nebraska (6), New Mexico (10), North Dakota (1), Oklahoma (8), Texas (14), Virginia (1), West Virginia (1), Wisconsin (2), and Wyoming (1).
Investigations by local, state, and federal public health and regulatory agencies indicate the source of the outbreak is whole cantaloupe grown at Jensen Farms’ production fields in Granada, Colorado.
On September 14, the Food & Drug Administration announced that Jensen Farms issued a voluntary recall of its Rocky Ford-brand cantaloupes after being linked to a multistate outbreak of listeriosis.
The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) recommends that people at high risk for listeriosis, including older adults, people with weakened immune systems, and pregnant women, do not eat Rocky Ford cantaloupes from Jensen Farms.
Other consumers who want to reduce their risk of Listeria infection should not eat Rocky Ford cantaloupes from Jensen Farms.
Even if some of the cantaloupe has been eaten without becoming ill, dispose of the rest of the cantaloupe immediately. Listeria bacteria can grow in the cantaloupe at room and refrigerator temperatures.
If you are not sure where your cantaloupe came from, take it to the store where you purchased it to find out.
Learn more at the CDC website.