Islanders who caught salmonella from cantaloupe recovering, says chief public health office
Two people on P.E.I. who got sick from eating cantaloupe contaminated with salmonella are doing well, says the Chief Public Health Office.
The two Islanders are among dozens of people across Canada and many more in the United States made ill by cantaloupe contaminated with salmonella.
In an email to CBC News Monday, the Chief Public Health Office said it and Public Health Nursing officials routinely conduct follow-up with all cases of salmonella in the province.
"We can report that both cases linked to the recalled cantaloupe are recovering from their illness and are doing well," the email said.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency expanded a previous recall on Friday, adding Rudy brand to a recall of Malichita brand cantaloupes.
As of Friday, the Public Health Agency of Canada recorded 63 lab-confirmed cases of salmonella linked to the cantaloupes. Most of those have been in Quebec, but there have been two on P.E.I.
Seventeen people have been hospitalized, and one person died.
The Malichita cantaloupes were sold between Oct. 11 and Nov 14, and Rudy between Oct. 10 and Nov. 24.
According to information posted by the Public Health Agency of Canada, the number of illnesses in Canada peaked during the week of Oct. 29, with just one case reported last week.
The recall also includes some pre-cut pineapples, honeydew melons and watermelons that were processed alongside Malichita cantaloupes.
The cantaloupes were also sold in the United States. On Friday the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 99 cases in 32 states with 45 people hospitalized. In Minnesota, two people died.
