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Hello, and welcome to Insider’s Health TV. Where we bring you the freshest happenings
in the world of medicine without the quack propaganda. Today we’ll be talking about
the deadly outbreak of food poisoning caused by the contaminated cantaloupe of Rocky Brand.
You may have heard that there is a little problem with the Jensen Farms cantaloupe,
shipped out of Holly, Colorado. That little problem is a massive food poisoning outbreak
that can have an effect on 22 states, up from an original estimate of 17. As of the time
this episode shot, Government health officials have counted as many as 68 infections and
eleven deaths, and they only expect the toll to rise. As far as mortality rate goes, this
is already worse than the 2009 salmonella outbreak in peanut butter that sickened almost
700 and claimed nine lives.
Cantaloupe is also often at the center of these contaminations, because it is among
the top five commonly tainted produce, along with spinach, lettuce, tomatoes and green
onions. But this is one of the worst episodes in recent history because the outbreak is
listeria, not salmonella or E. coli. If you’re dealing with a virulent strain of listeria,
the kill rate is about 30 percent. It’s especially dangerous among the elderly, who
also make up the largest target demographic of the soft fruit.
So for now there isn’t much you can do except avoid the tainted fruit at all costs. Thankfully,
the CDC acted quickly and began the recall while they were still gathering evidence,
which may have saved many infections and deaths.
But we’re not in the clear just yet, so if you’re feeling ill after having your
favorite soft melon, don’t hesitate to get yourself checked out.
That’s it for this edition of Insider’s Health TV. I’m your host, Kimberly Walleston.
And remember: it’s your health. We’re just helping you think outside the docs.