2 Dead, At Least 99 Sick in Salmonella Outbreak Tied to Contaminated Cantaloupes and Cut Fruit - Yahoo Finance UK

The CDC shared a food safety alert on Friday, detailing the locations where the fruit was purchased

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A group of cantaloupes

Two people have died and at least 99 have become ill in a salmonella outbreak involving cantaloupes and cut fruit, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

On Friday, the public health agency shared a "food safety alert," noting that two deaths were reported in Minnesota and that salmonella cases were reported in 32 states in total.

Of the at least 99 people who fell ill, 45 have been hospitalized, according to the CDC. Most sicknesses were reported in Arizona, Missouri, Ohio, Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Related: At Least 26 People in 11 U.S. States Sickened by Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Turtles, Says CDC

Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia

The outbreak is tied to multiple fruit brands — specifically whole cantaloupes with stickers reading "Malichita" or "Rudy" and featuring the number "4050" and "Product of Mexico/produit du Mexique"; Vinyard brand pre-cut cantaloupes sold in Oklahoma between Oct. 30 and Nov. 10; and ALDI whole cantaloupe and pre-cut fruit products with best-buy dates between Oct. 27 and Oct. 31 in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan and Wisconsin.

The recall also includes some Freshness Guaranteed and RaceTrac pre-cut cantaloupes sold in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia with best-buy dates between Nov. 7 and Nov. 12.

"Investigators are working to identify any additional cantaloupe products that may be contaminated," the CDC shared.

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According to a chart from the CDC, the first illnesses were reported on Oct. 17.

"The true number of sick people in this outbreak is likely much higher than the number reported, and the outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses," the CDC noted. "This is because many people recover without medical care and are not tested for salmonella. In addition, recent illnesses may not yet be reported as it usually takes 3 to 4 weeks to determine if a sick person is part of an outbreak."

The CDC is urging businesses to not "sell or serve recalled cantaloupes and products made with recalled cantaloupe," and to "wash and sanitize items and surfaces."

Those infected with salmonella experience symptoms such as diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps. Health officials in Canada are also investigating the outbreak, per the CDC.

As previously reported, the CDC notes that salmonella bacteria causes about 1.35 million infections, 26,500 hospitalizations and 420 deaths in the U.S. each year.

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