ST. PAUL, Minn. (KMSP) -
The state health department says you should not eat cantaloupe grown in southwestern Indiana after at least three people in Minnesota became sick with salmonella linked to the fruit
Two cantaloupes collected by the Kentucky health department tested positive for Salmonella Typhimurium. Kentucky officials did not name the source of the contaminated cantaloupe, but one farm in southwestern Indiana has initiated a voluntary market withdrawal and has stopped its harvest of cantaloupes after state officials said cantaloupes grown on the farm tested positive for the same type of salmonella causing illness in Minnesota and other states.
The Minnesota Department of Health determined three salmonella cases in Minnesota of the same outbreak strain. All three individuals reported eating cantaloupe during the week prior to becoming ill between July 18 and 26.
Two of the cases were over 70 years of age and one was a child. Two of the cases live in the Twin Cities metro area, and one in greater Minnesota. All three have since recovered, and none of them required a hospital stay.
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is working with other states and the FDA to identify the distribution of the affected cantaloupes in Minnesota. When more information becomes available, MDA will provide on its website at www.mda.state.mn.us
Until a specific distribution list is available, consumers should not eat cantaloupe from southwestern Indiana, which is often indicated on a sticker placed on the fruit. If no sticker is present, consumers should contact the store where they purchased the fruit to ask about the source.
