At least 43 people in the United States and 19 in Canada have been infected with an outbreak strain of salmonella linked to melons, officials say.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency warns people not to eat three recalled melon brands: Malichita, Save on Foods and Urban Fare.
The recall applies to whole melons as well as pre-cut pieces, fruit salads and platters with the fruit.
So far there have been such eight confirmed or probable cases the same strain of Salmonella associated with Malichita melons in British Columbia, eight lab-confirmed cases in Quebec and three more in Ontario.
The agency said the affected Malichita melons were sold between October 11 and November 14 inclusive.
For the “Save on Foods” and “Urban Fare” products, the best-before dates apply up to and including November 9th.
Consumers who have the products at home should throw them away.
Some of the recalled products were distributed in all provinces, as well as Yukon and possibly other territories.
Most people recover within a week
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said interviews with sick people and laboratory findings showed melons were on the backlog this outbreak.
In the United States, 17 people were hospitalized and no deaths were reported.
The CDC says the number of people sickened in the outbreak is likely much higher than reported.
It typically takes three to four weeks to determine whether a sick person is part of an outbreak.
Most people infected with salmonella develop diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps within six hours to six days of eating food contaminated with the bacteria.
Most recover on their own within seven days. Health officials in B.C said.
Some people – especially children under five, people aged 65 and over and people with weakened immune systems – may experience more severe illness that requires medical treatment or hospitalization.
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