The number of people killed in the US by an outbreak of listeria caused by contaminated cantaloupes has risen to 18, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
As of 11am ET on Monday (3 October), a total of 100 people across 20 states had been infected with listeria monocytogenes, originating from cantaloupes processed by US produce firm Jensen Farms, said the CDC.
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A statement from the Jensen family on the company’s Facebook page said: “We want to reach out and thank everyone for supporting us through this terrible time in the history of our beloved farm.
“At the moment we are focused on educating ourselves on every facet of this outbreak. We are determined to get to the bottom of how and why (and in what concentration) it could have appeared on our melons in the store.”
A statement on the CDC website said that although Jensen Farms issued a voluntary recall of Rocky Ford-brand cantaloupes on September 14 and the recalled cantaloupe should be off store shelves, more ilnesses may be reported because of the time lag between diagnosis and laboratory confirmation. It added that two months can elapse between eating contaminated food and developing listeriosis.
