Community Corner

Salmonella Outbreak Linked Cantaloupe

Officials at the Minnesota Department of Health have traced three recent cases to cantaloupe grown in southwestern Indiana.

Health officials are advising Minnesotan consumers to avoid cantaloupe after at least three people in the state became ill with Salmonella. 

Salmonella is a bacterial organism which can cause diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps for 12 to 72 hours after the initial infection. The illness typically lasts four to seven days. However, young children, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems have a greater risk of developing a more severe and sometimes fatal infection.

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The three patients reported eating cantaloupe a week prior to becoming ill in late July. Two of the infections appeared in individuals over 70. The third patient was a child. None of the patients afflicted with Salmonella were hospitalized. All have recovered.

The three newest cases are part of ongoing multistate outbreak of SalmonellaTyphimurium. All infections have been associated with cantaloupe that likely originates from southwestern Indiana, state health officials said today. State officials are working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to trace the distribution of the contaminated cantaloupes. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture will post a list of Minnesota retail outlets that received the recalled cantaloupes as soon as that information is available. 

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In the meantime, consumers should not eat the fruit unless they are certain that the produce did not come from southwestern Indiana. 

 


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