Have you heard about the recent deaths from an outbreak of a bacteria in cantaloupe?  If you don't know where your cantaloupe came from you should get rid of it.  Federal health officials are warning consumers again after more deaths due to the tainted melon.

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The criminal here is a culprit known as listeriosis, which is a bacteria found in soil and water.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 72 illnesses -  that includes 13 deaths,  are now linked to  infected melons  grown by Jensen Farms in Holly, Colo.  And there may be more.

As you may known you can't leave cantaloupe in your frig for very long.  The tainted melons in Colorado were  recalled a couple of weeks ago.

Officials are unsure of  how the melons became tainted, and they're calling this the deadliest outbreak of a disease via food that's been identified in more than 10 years.

Here is where the deaths occurred, according to the CDC:  Colorado,  Kansas,  Maryland,  Missouri, Nebraska,  New Mexico, Oklahoma,  and Texas.

Listeria is usually associated with meats and cheeses,  not fruits or vegetables.

Of the people who contract the listeria bacteria and end up in the hospital,  90% are elderly.

 

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