Health officials in the United States are suggesting as many as 14 deaths could be linked to the recent outbreak of listeriosis caused by a strain of the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes traced to whole canteloupe melons from Jensen Farms, Colorado.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported last week that 55 people had fallen ill and 8 had died in connection with the outbreak. The Associated Press in Washington reported late yesterday that health officials in Kansas, Nebraska, Texas and Wyoming are now linking another six deaths to the outbreak.
The CDC’s National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases reported recently that as of 5pm EDT on 20 September, 14 states have reported a total of 55 people infected with outbreak-associated strains, as follows: California (1 person), Colorado (14), Illinois (1), Indiana (1), Maryland (1), Montana (1), Nebraska (4), New Mexico (10), Oklahoma (8), Texas (9), Virginia (1), West Virginia (1), Wisconsin (2), and Wyoming (1).
All fell ill on or before 4 August, and joint investigations by local, state and federal health officials and regulators show that the source is whole cantaloupe melons grown at fields belonging to Jensen Farms in Granada, Colorado.
Since then, Jensen Farms have issued a voluntary recall of its Rocky Ford brand cantaloupes.
Listeriosis is a serious infection caused by eating food contaminated with L. monocytogenes. According to the CDC, it is an important public health problem in the US, where an estimated 1,600 people become seriously ill with it every year, of whom 260 die.
The disease primarily affects older adults, pregnant women, newborns, and adults with weakened immune systems. It is rare for people not in these groups to fall ill with it, but they do.
The CDC says you can reduce your risk getting listeriosis, by following some simple recommendations, such as:
- Thoroughly cook raw meat and poultry to a safe internal temperature.
- Rinse raw vegetables thoroughly under running tap water before eating.
- Keep vegetables, ready-to-eat foods and cooked foods well away from uncooked meats and poultry.
- Avoid unpasteurized milk and foods made from it.
- Eat perishable and ready to eat food sooner rather than later.
- Wash your hands, utensils, cutting boards and worktops before and after handling and preparing all foods.
The CDC recommends that people at high risk for listeriosis and consumers who want to reduce their risk of getting it, avoid eating Rocky Ford cantaloupes from Jensen Farms.
Even if you have eaten some of these canteloupes without getting ill, throw the rest away at once. The bacterium can grow in the fruit at room temperature and even when refrigerated.
For more information about this outbreak, see the
Written by Catharine Paddock PhD