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Salmonella outbreak linked to cantaloupe continues in US
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The latest numbers from the CDC indicate that 204 people from 22 states have become infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Typhimurium. A total of 78 hospitalizations have been reported, including two deaths in Kentucky.
Among 149 people for whom information is available, dates of illness onset range from July 7 to Aug. 18. Those affected range in age from younger than 12 months to 100 years, with a median age of 50 years; 50% of reported cases have been female.
As a result of this outbreak, the FDA recalled cantaloupe produced by Chamberlain Farms, of Owensville, Ind., because of possible contamination with Salmonella Typhimurium. Records indicate this product was initially shipped to Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, Ohio, Illinois and Wisconsin, although further shipment was likely, according to the FDA.
Children are at increased risk for salmonellosis and children aged younger than 5 years have the highest incidence rate for Salmonella infection, according to an FDA press release.
The CDC reported that there is no connection between this Salmonella outbreak and the 2011 multistate listeriosis outbreak, which was also associated with cantaloupes.
The investigation is ongoing.