Six dead, more than 150 cases confirmed in cantaloupe salmonella outbreak: PHAC

OTTAWA -

Federal officials have confirmed a sixth Canadian death and 153 cases of salmonella in an outbreak linked to Malichita and Rudy brand cantaloupes.

In an update Friday, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) released the latest figures of the ongoing outbreak, rising from five deaths and 129 cases as of the previous update on Dec. 7.

Currently, cases have been reported in eight Canadian provinces including British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, P.E.I., New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador. Quebec has reported the majority of cases, rising to 103 from 91, last week.

According to the release, affected individuals, a majority of whom being children under six (35 per cent) or adults aged 65 or older (44 per cent), “became sick between mid-October and late-November 2023.”

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Fifty-three people have been hospitalized, as of the most recent numbers, and additional cases, currently under investigation by the agency, may be confirmed in the coming days.

Symptoms of salmonella include fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache and abdominal cramps, and may take up to 72 hours to appear. Salmonella infections typically last between four and seven days, and infected individuals may be contagious for days or weeks after their exposure, “even if they don't have symptoms,” the release notes.

PHAC is warning consumers not to “eat, serve, use, sell or distribute Malichita or Rudy brand cantaloupe,” or any product made with it, and to dispose of any they may have in their homes and thoroughly clean anywhere it has been stored.

“Based on the investigation findings to date, consumption of Malichita and Rudy brand cantaloupes have been identified as the likely source of the outbreak,” the PHAC release reads.

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So far, three recalls warnings have been issued for Malichita cantaloupes sold between Oct. 11 and Nov. 14 of this year, with Rudy cantaloupes added to the warning in late November, including those sold between Oct. 10 and Nov. 24. Additional recalls have been issued for food items that may have come into contact with the affected produce.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is currently investigating a salmonella outbreak linked to cantaloupes that the PHAC describes as “the same genetic strain” as those reported in Canada’s outbreak.

As of Friday, the CDC has reported 302 illnesses and four deaths across 42 U.S. states in the outbreak.