Cantaloupes linked to deadly salmonella outbreak, US says

Two people have died in a salmonella outbreak linked to melons, as the number of cases has more than doubled since the outbreak was first announced last week. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said this on Friday.

The Food and Drug Administration said on Nov. 17 that it was investigating the outbreak. At that point, 43 cases and 17 hospitalizations had been reported in 15 states. As of Friday, federal officials had reported 99 cases in 32 states.

Several fruit manufacturers have issued recalls for some melons and melon products that were distributed nationally, the CDC said.

Health officials asked consumers and businesses to throw away the recalled fruit, including imported whole melons from Mexico labeled “Rudy” and “Malichita,” pre-cut melons sold under the names “Vinyard,” “Aldi,” “Freshness Guaranteed” and brand names “RaceTrac”.

The CDC has word a complete list of the recalled fruits on its website.

As of Friday, at least two people in Minnesota had died and 45 people had been hospitalized. Health officials in Canada were also investigating the outbreak there.

“The actual number of sick people in this outbreak is likely much higher than the reported number, and the outbreak may not be limited to states with known illnesses,” the CDC said, adding that it usually takes three to four weeks to determine or a case is part of an outbreak.

Salmonella is a foodborne bacteria that infects people with a potentially fatal disease called salmonellosis.

The bacteria is responsible for the majority of foodborne illnesses reported in the United States, according to the US Department of Agriculturewith an estimated 1.35 million people reporting sick every year.

More than 400 people die from the infection in the United States every year.

Symptoms can last for days and include diarrhea, fever and stomach pain. Young children, older adults and people with weakened immune symptoms are particularly vulnerable to the disease, which is treated with antibiotics in severe cases, according to the CDC.