BOZEMAN — Two cases of a national salmonella infection outbreak linked to cantaloupes have been reported in Montana.
According to a U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Food Alert, since the last update on November 30, 2023, an additional 113 people infected with this outbreak strain of salmonella have been reported from four additional states, resulting in a total case count of 230 people from 38 states.
An additional death has also been reported in Oregon.
Interviews with sick people and laboratory findings continue to show that cantaloupes are making people in this outbreak sick.
The CDC is concerned about this outbreak because illnesses are severe with more than half hospitalized, and people in long-term care facilities and childcare centers have gotten sick.
Twenty-four people resided in long-term care facilities and 23 children attended childcare centers before they got sick.
The CDC advises facilities that care for people who are at higher risk for severe illness to not serve cantaloupes that may be contaminated.
This includes recalled cantaloupes and cantaloupe that were supplied pre-cut if the brand of whole cantaloupes used is not known.
What You Should Do:
- Do not eat pre-cut cantaloupes if you don’t know whether Malichita or Rudy brand cantaloupes were used.
- Do not eat any recalled whole or pre-cut cantaloupe products. Wash items and surfaces that may have touched the cantaloupe using hot soapy water or a dishwasher. All cantaloupe recalls are listed on the FDA’s cantaloupe recall website.
Salmonella Symptoms:
- Most people infected with Salmonella experience diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps.
- Symptoms usually start 6 hours to 6 days after swallowing the bacteria.
- Most people recover without treatment after 4 to 7 days.
- Some people—especially children younger than 5 years, adults 65 years and older, and people with weakened immune systems—may experience more severe illnesses that require medical treatment or hospitalization.
