U.S. Listeria Outbreak Death Toll Now at 28
The death toll from a Listeria outbreak linked to cantaloupes rose to 28 and the total number of people infected was at 133, according to a report from the Centers for Disease and Control Prevention Tuesday.
The Center reported new deaths in Colorado, Kansas and Missouri in addition to Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming, reported previously.
Persons infected have been reported in 26 states and the CDC urged people not to eat Rocky Ford cantaloupes from Jensen Farms.
The related deaths and infections are part of the deadliest food-borne listeria outbreak in the United States since 1985, according to Reuters.
Listeria usually affects older adults, pregnant women, newborns and adults with weakened immune systems, according to the CDC.
Symptoms that could show up two months after eating the contaminated food and can include fever, muscle aches, diarrhea and other stomach problems. Pregnant women may only experience a mild-flu-like illness, however the infection could lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, or life-threatening infection of the newborn.