It's a Real Life CONTAGION

Ok, that might be a little dramatic, it isn't exactly a Contagion per say, but it is an outbreak of disease originating from.....cantaloupes. Bet you never thought the terrorists would try to get us via delicious fruit, did you? But it's pretty brilliant when you think about it!

Oh, what's that? The terrorists didn't do this? The cantaloupes are just naturally contaminated? Oh. Well that makes this movie plot line much less interesting. Oh wait......this is just a blog post. Nevermind! Onto the news...

So a bunch of cantaloupes originating from Colorado have officially taken the lives of 16 people due to a listeria contamination. Listeria is a bacteria that has a mortality rate that is 25x higher than that of salmonella, a much more well known bacterial food borne illness (salmonella's mortality rate is 1%, listerosis by comparision is 25%. yikes.). One of the reasons that listeria is so danger is because the bacteria can grow in a wide variety of temperatures, from as low as a refrigerator (39.2 F) to as high as the body's natural temperature (98.6 F). Scary stuff, right?

Cases of listeria from the contaminated 'lopes have been reported in California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming [wooo, that's a lot!]. However, the cantaloupes were shipped to numerous other states, including Tennessee.

My advice? Don't eat cantaloupes. The infected fruit was traced back to Jensen Farms in Holly, Colorado and will be labeled with a sticker that reads "Colorado Grown", "Distributed by Frontera Produce", "Jensenfarms.com" or " Sweet Rocky Fords". If you currently have one of the cantaloupes in your home, the CDC recommends throwing it out immediately and clean and sanitize any surfaces it may have touched.

The cantaloupes were shipped from July 29 to September 10, so even if you don't currently have one in your home but potentially had one previously, be on the look out for symptoms. Listeria has a very long incubation period, so many people do not get sick until weeks after they have eaten the cantaloupe. Symptoms can include: fever, muscle aches, diarrhea, nausea, headache, stiff neck, confusion or changes in alertness, loss of balance and convulsions. If you experience any of these symptoms, please go to a doctor immediately for treatmeant. I for one had cantaloupe last week in California and while I imagine I am safe from harm since it was past the ship date, you just never know! If anyone sees me experiencing any of these symptoms, please take me to a doctor because it is highly unlikely I will go on my own. ;)

Everyone be safe!!