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Cantaloupe Recall Expanded After Spike in Salmonella Cases

Case count now includes nearly 100 people in 32 states; two people have died and 45 have been hospitalized

By Physician’s Briefing Staff HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Nov. 27, 2023 (HealthDay News) — With fruit-linked Salmonella infections more than doubling in just a week, U.S. health officials have recalled three more brands of cantaloupe.

The case count now includes nearly 100 people in 32 states, with Arizona, Missouri, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Ohio having the highest number of illnesses reported. Two people have died in Minnesota, while 45 have been hospitalized nationwide, according to an updated health alert issued Friday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The actual number of people infected with Salmonella in this outbreak is likely even higher, the CDC said, because many recover without care and are never tested for the bacteria.

The original U.S. Food and Drug Administration recall, issued Nov. 14, included Malichita brand whole cantaloupe, Vinyard brand precut cantaloupe, and ALDI whole cantaloupe and precut fruit products. Rudy brand whole cantaloupes and Freshness Guaranteed brand and RaceTrac brand precut cantaloupes have now been added to the recall.

The recalled fruits should be thrown away and any surfaces the fruits touched should be washed with hot, soapy water or in a dishwasher, the CDC advised.

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