The Kansas Department of Health and Environment continues to collaborate with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, the Kansas Department of Agriculture and health officials in other states to investigate a multistate outbreak of listeriosis associated with the consumption of Rocky Ford cantaloupes from Jensen Farms.
Kansas now has seven cases of listeriosis, including two deaths, linked to the outbreak. Labratory Tests provided by KDHE on the 22nd of September have linked two additional cases to the multistate outbreak. Kansas typically has fewer than six cases of listeriosis per year.
Listeriosis primarily occurs among older adults, persons with weakened immune systems, pregnant women and newborns. Sypmtoms include fever, muscle ahces, diarrhea and vomiting, and the symptoms usually show up from 3 to 70 days after exposure. Anyone with these symptoms should consult a physician immediately.
If you have eaten a recalled cantaloupe from Jensen Farms but have not experienced symptoms then no testing for Listeria is recommended.
Listeria bacteria can grow in the cantaloupes at room and refrigerator temperatures. Folks should wash their hands before and after handling melon. The surface of the melons should be washed and dried with a clean cloth or paper towel before cutting. Melons left at room temperature for more than 4 hours should be discarded.
For additional information about the outbreak you can visit the cdc site at www dot cdc dot gov and find the outbreak tab. The FDA also has all recall media releases at www dot FDA dot gov.
