Cantaloupe Concerns

State health officials issued a reminder to consumers to thoroughly wash the outer skin of cantaloupes after an outbreak of salmonella poisoning sickened at least 39 people in five Western states.

The poisoning, caused by an uncommon type of the bacteria known as salmonella poona, struck people in California, Oregon, New Mexico, Nevada and Washington.

Nineteen people in 13 California counties became ill between April 14 and May 1, officials said Tuesday. The normal number of cases reported is fewer than four per month.

In California, the outbreak mostly involved children 9 or younger. Most had consumed tainted cantaloupe cut at home, although a few had eaten cantaloupe that was precut and sold at supermarkets.

“Cantaloupe meat can become contaminated when it is sliced through contaminated rind without prior scrubbing with soap and hot, running water,” state health director Diana Bonta said. “Consumers should handle cantaloupe as they would handle raw meat: They should wash their hands before and after handling the fruit and refrigerate unused cut portions immediately.”

Cantaloupe has also been implicated in previous outbreaks of salmonella, including one involving 400 cases of salmonella poona in 1991.

Salmonella poona causes the same illnesses as other types of salmonella. Symptoms--which include fever, abdominal cramps and diarrhea--generally occur one to three days after eating tainted food and last two to five days.

While generally not life-threatening, the infection can pose a danger to young children, the elderly and those with weak immune systems.

Source: Associated Press