CDC warns against eating pre-cut cantaloupe amid growing Salmonella outbreak
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Key takeaways:
- The CDC is investigating an outbreak of Salmonella linked to cantaloupes.
- Two people have died in the outbreak, which has grown to include more than 100 people.
The CDC issued a warning Thursday not to eat pre-cut cantaloupe if the brand of the fruit is not known, the latest development in a growing outbreak of Salmonella infections that has sickened more than 100 people, killing two.
Pre-cut cantaloupe made from Malichita and Rudy brand whole cantaloupes are at the center of the outbreak, which has grown to include 117 people in 34 states, according to the CDC. Minnesota has reported two deaths in the outbreak.
Whole cantaloupes sold under the Malichita and Rudy brands have been recalled, as have pre-cut cantaloupes sold at various stores. The CDC advised people not to eat any pre-cut cantaloupe if they do not know whether these two brands were used, including any store-bought fruit mixes that contain cantaloupe.
More than half of the people infected in the outbreak have been hospitalized, according to the CDC. At least 14 of the people resided in long-term care facilities, and seven children in the outbreak attended childcare centers before they got sick.
“CDC advises facilities that care for people who are at higher risk for severe illness to not serve cantaloupes that may be contaminated,” the agency said. “This includes recalled cantaloupes and cantaloupe that was supplied pre-cut if the brand of whole cantaloupes used are not known.”
Symptoms of Salmonella infection include diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps and usually begin within 6 hours to 6 days after ingesting the contaminated food, according to the CDC. Most people do not need treatment, but high-risk groups — particularly young children and older adults — may experience severe symptoms that require treatment or even hospitalization, the agency noted.
Collapse
CDC. Salmonella outbreak linked to cantaloupes. https://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/sundsvall-11-23/index.html. Updated Nov. 30, 2023. Accessed Dec. 1, 2023.
Read more about
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts