ottawa –
Federal authorities have confirmed a sixth Canadian death and 153 salmonella cases in an outbreak linked to Marichita and Rudy brand cantaloupes.
In an update Friday, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) released the latest numbers on the ongoing outbreak, an increase from five deaths and 129 cases as of the last update on Dec. 7.
Cases have now been reported in eight Canadian provinces, including British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, P.E.I., New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador. Quebec has reported the majority of cases, with 103 reported, up from 91 last week.
The majority of affected individuals were children under the age of 6 (35%) or adults over the age of 65 (44%) and “became ill between mid-October and late November 2023,” according to the announcement. .
The latest figures show that 53 people are hospitalized, and authorities are currently investigating, with more cases likely to be confirmed in the coming days.
Symptoms of salmonella include fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, and abdominal pain, and symptoms can take up to 72 hours to appear. Salmonella infections typically last four to seven days, and an infected person can be contagious for days to weeks after exposure “even if they do not exhibit symptoms,” the release states.
PHAC warns consumers not to eat, offer, use, sell or distribute “Marichita or Rudy branded cantaloupe” or any products made using it, and to dispose of any cantaloupe in their home. , warning that the area where it was stored should be thoroughly cleaned.
“Based on previous investigation results, ingestion of Marichita and Rudy brand cantaloupe has been identified as the likely source of the outbreak,” the PHAC release said.
So far, three recall warnings have been issued for Marichita muskmelon sold from October 11th to November 14th of this year, and in late November, Rudy cantaloupes, including those sold up to the 24th, have been added to the warning. It is issued for food products that may have come into contact with affected produce.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is currently investigating a Salmonella outbreak linked to cantaloupe, which PHAC says is the “same genetic strain” reported in the Canadian outbreak.
As of Friday, the CDC reported 302 illnesses and four deaths in 42 U.S. states from the outbreak.
