My colleague, Amy, told you about a listeria outbreak in cantaloupe last week. Unfortunately, the situation has gotten progressively worse. At least 55 people, from 14 different states, have been sickened by the listeria linked to cantaloupe from Jensen Farms' production fields in Granada, Colorado.
The tainted cantaloupe has been linked to the deaths of eight people, including two in Colorado, one in Maryland, four in New Mexico, and one in Oklahoma.
Most of the listeria victims are people over the age of 60 and 59 percent of the sick are female. Listeria can linger in the human body for several months before showing symptoms so the number of victims may continue to rise. This outbreak reminds us to wash melons before eating them.
"We are deeply saddened to learn that cantaloupes grown on our farm have been linked to the current Listeria outbreak. Our hearts go out to those individuals and their families who have been affected by this terrible situation," Jensen Farms wrote on their website.
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