The deadly Salmonella cantaloupe outbreak has sickened at least 359 people and killed eight in the United States and Canada. As of December 7, 2023, there are 129 laboratory confirmed cases in Canada, and 230 illnesses in the United States. In the U.S., 96 patients have been hospitalized and there are three deaths: two in Minnesota and one in Oregon. In Canada, 44 patients are hospitalized and there are five deaths.
The outbreak has been growing very quickly. Cases doubled in the United States in one week, and in Canada, they more than doubled in that time span.
The case count by state in the U.S. is: Alaska (1), Arkansas (1), Arizona (15), California (8), Colorado (8), Georgia (3), Iowa (5), Illinois (11), Indiana (5), Kansas (2), Kentucky (7), Massachusetts (1), Maryland (2), Michigan (2), Minnesota (20), Missouri (14), Mississippi (1), Montana (2), North Carolina (4), Nebraska (7), New Jersey (3), New Mexico (2), Nevada (5), New York (7), Ohio (8), Oklahoma (3), Oregon (5), Pennsylvania (5), Rhode Island (1), South Carolina (6), South Dakota (1), Tennessee (5), Texas (16), Utah (9), Virginia (5), Washington (4), Wisconsin (18), and West Virginia (3). And the case count by province in Canada is: British Columbia (15), Ontario (17), Quebec (91), Prince Edward Island (2), New Brunswick (2), and Newfoundland and Labrador (2).
Many recalls have been issued in relation to this outbreak. Some of the recalls have been for whole cantaloupe, some for processed cantaloupe, and some have been for cantaloupe mixed with other fruits, as in fruit cups and trays. There has even been some pineapple recalled, since it was processed on the same lines as the cantaloupe.
Please check your refrigerator and freezer to see if you have any cantaloupe. If you froze some of this fruit for later use, throw that away as well. And unless you are very sure that the cantaloupe you have is not part of these recalls, do not eat it.
Symptoms of Salmonella food poisoning include a fever, chills, headache, nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, abdominal cramps and pain, and diarrhea that may be bloody. These symptoms usually occur within 12 to 72 hours after infection, but some people don’t get sick for a week.
If you have eaten cantaloupe and have been ill with these symptoms, see your doctor. You may be part of this deadly Salmonella cantaloupe outbreak.
If you have been sickened with a food poisoning infection, please contact our experienced attorneys for help with a possible lawsuit at 1-888-377-8900 or text us at 612-261-0856. Our firm represents clients in lawsuits against grocery stores, restaurants, and food processors, and families in wrongful death cases.
