Federal health officials say a sixth person has died in a salmonella outbreak linked to tainted cantaloupes sold in nine provinces.
In its latest update, the Public Health Agency of Canada says 53 individuals have been hospitalized out of a total of 153 confirmed cases of salmonella, and other potential cases are under investigation.
Most cases of infections were reported in Quebec (103), with others in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador. The majority of those who became sick were children 5 years old or younger and adults 65 and older.
“Many cases also report residing in a long-term care home, retirement residence, assisted living facility or attending daycare,” the agency said in a news release Friday. It did not say where the deaths and hospitalizations occurred.
Public Health has said investigation findings have identified consumption of Malichita and Rudy brand cantaloupes as the likely source of the outbreak.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) issued several food recall warnings in November for Malichita brand cantaloupes sold during previous weeks. On Nov. 24, the CFIA updated the recall to include Rudy brand cantaloupes. Additional recalls have been issued for products made using recalled cantaloupes and produce items processed alongside them, including other fruits such as honeydew, pineapple, and watermelon.
In the U.S., four people have died in a salmonella outbreak also linked to the Malichita and Rudy brand cantaloupes, and at least 302 people have been infected, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported Friday.
Also Friday, Mexico’s Health Department ordered the temporary closure of a melon-packing plant in the northern border state of Sonora believed to be implicated in the salmonella outbreaks in Canada and the U.S. The department did not name the company involved nor what violations were found at the plant.
It said testing was being done to find the source of the contamination, with inspectors taking samples of water and swiping surfaces at the plant to look for traces of salmonella bacteria.
Malichita and Rudy brand cantaloupes are grown in the Sonora area. The fruit was imported by Sofia Produce LLC, of Nogales, Arizona, which does business as TruFresh, and Pacific Trellis Fruit LLC, of Los Angeles.
Health officials are warning consumers, retailers and restaurants not to buy, eat or serve cantaloupe if they don’t know the source.
Salmonella symptoms typically start in the hours or days after exposure and usually last for up to a week, the PHAC said. These symptoms may include fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache and abdominal cramps.
“People who are infected with Salmonella bacteria can spread Salmonella to other people several days to several weeks after they have become infected, even if they don’t have symptoms,” the Public Health Agency warned in the release.
Law firm Slater Vecchio LLP announced Wednesday that they filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of people in Quebec who purchased, or consumed and got sick, cantaloupes that were recalled.
– With a report from the Associated Press