Killer Cantaloupes

Cantaloupes infested with listeria have sparked the deadliest U.S. food-borne disease outbreak in over a decade. Thirteen people have died and seventy-two have fallen ill after eating cantaloupes from Jensen Farms. 

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention said it was the first-ever outbreak of the pathogen in melons. The cantaloupes were distributed out of the Colorado-based farm to at least seventeen states and some were exported. Health authorities said the countries involved were notified but weren’t able to give information about where they were shipped. 

The outbreak will likely expand further since a person can fall ill from listeria up to two months after consuming a contaminated product. The people most at risk are the elderly, those with weak immune systems, and pregnant women. Listeria infections typically cause fever and muscle aches.

The FDA has warned consumers not to eat Rocky Ford cantaloupe shipped from Jensen Farms and to throw away the recalled ones in a sealed container so that children and wildlife can’t access them.