(Ottawa) The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) says one person has died following a salmonella outbreak linked to Malichita and Rudy brand cantaloupes.
An update from the agency released Friday did not provide details on who died, but said there have been 63 confirmed cases of salmonella linked to the outbreak in several provinces, and that 17 people have been hospitalized.
The agency issued food recall warnings three times in November for Malichita cantaloupes sold between October 11 and November 14.
On November 24, it updated its warning to include Rudy brand cantaloupes sold between October 10 and November 24.
The cantaloupes have been distributed across the country, and PHAC says confirmed cases of salmonella have been identified so far in five provinces: Quebec, Ontario, British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island.
The agency says it is investigating other potential cases and notes that in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are also investigating a salmonella outbreak linked to cantaloupes. which they describe as being of the same genetic strain as that of Canada.
U.S. health officials said Friday that two people had died and 45 people were hospitalized nationwide due to the outbreak.