Health dept. issues cantaloupe warning
Posted: 09.13.2011 at 7:03 PM
Updated: 09.14.2011 at 5:50 AM
Listeria Outbreak may be tied to Rocky Ford Cantaloupes  / Courtesy: RockyFordMelon.com
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EL PASO COUNTY, COLO. -- Cantaloupes are being pulled from local grocery store shelves, this after the El Paso County Health Department issued a warning Tuesday asking high-risk people to avoid eating Rocky Ford Cantaloupes.

Health officials said the melons may be the cause of the recent Listeria outbreak.

There have been four cases of the bacteria in El Paso County, and one death.

Testing is still underway, but officials said there is enough evidence to believe Rocky Ford Cantaloupes are behind the recent outbreak.

Even though an official recall has not been issued, many southern Colorado grocery stores have chosen to pull the melons from their shelves.

They include King Soopers, Safeway, Whole Foods and Sunflower Markets.

More on the listeria outbreak
Salmon recall in Colorado 
Two dead, seven ill in Colorado 
Official cantaloupe warning 

"People who are 60 years and older, pregnant women, people who have weakened immune systems either from chronic medical conditions or from medications they are taking, those are the high risk groups to get Listeria infections," Bernadette Albanese, Medical Director with the El Paso County Health Department, said.

Albanese said they are not sure what part of the cantaloupe is contaminated.

She said your safest best is to just throw them away.

"Just seal them up in a bag and throw them away if you have them in your refrigerator," Albanese said. "You may actually have some leftover contamination on the surfaces of the refrigerator, so we are recommending that you go back in and clean out your refrigerator with some liquid detergent soap and some water to kind of clean that off."

The symptoms of Listeria include fever, body aches, headaches and diarrhea.

"If it starts involving the brain and starts an infection around the brain then you may have stiff neck, and you may have seizures," Albanese said. "You may have serious confusion and these are serious and progressive symptoms."

Albanese said if you have any of those symptoms, have recently eaten cantaloupe, and are in a high risk group you should contact your health care provider right away.