Three of the 5 deaths attributed to the contamination were in New Mexico, and other people in Colorado, Texas and Nebraska conjointly fell sick within the outbreak, traced to consumption of cantaloupe. Listeriosis is usually contracted from deli meats and hot dogs, and might result from consumption of dairy furthermore.
Listeria isn't the maximum amount of a risk to healthy people because it is to the elderly, babies, folks with compromised immune systems and notably pregnant ladies, who risk a miscarriage or stillbirth from exposure to the pathogen.
Two of the listeria-related deaths from this outbreak occurred in Colorado, and public health officers believe they will have traced the outbreak to “cantaloupe from the famed Rocky Ford area” because the “likely culprit” behind the severe sicknesses and deaths.
Dr. Chris Urbina, director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and setting, commented on the investigation into the outbreak:
“People at high risk for listeria infection shouldn't eat cantaloupe from the Rocky Ford growing region… The department expects extra take a look at results later on which will facilitate determine the precise supply of the cantaloupe linked to the multistate outbreak.”
Overall, to avoid listeria, recommendations embrace heating deli meats and hot dogs to steaming hot, and avoiding soft cheeses. officers within the affected states are cautioning residents to refrigerate cut melon furthermore on discard any melon that has remained at area temperature for four hours or a lot of.
