The health department in Georgia says that at least 5 people got salmonella from eating tainted melon.

By Pennie Spruill Last updated Dec 2, 2023

IN ATLANTA – The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) warns people not to eat pre-cut melon if they can’t confirm where it came from. It’s likely that eating the contaminated melon is what made at least five people in Georgia sick with Salmonella. Also, 117 people across the country have been sick, and almost half of them need to be hospitalised.

The ages of the people who got Salmonella in Georgia range from 1 to 81. The cases don’t all come from one place in the state; they come from all over. One person was taken to the hospital but has since been released.

People who get Salmonella usually have diarrhoea, fever, and stomach cramps, and they get better on their own in 4 to 7 days. But the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is worried about this outbreak because the sicknesses that are linked to it are very bad. These include fevers above 102°F, diarrhoea that doesn’t get better after three days, and not being able to keep liquids down. People who may have eaten the recalled cantaloupe should call their doctor if they are showing serious signs of Salmonella.

If you aren’t sure if the melon is Malichita or Rudy brand, don’t eat it whole or cut up. People who have the recalled melon should either throw it away or take it back to the store where you bought it.

If pre-cut melon already has Salmonella on it, rinsing it won’t get rid of all the germs. There are fewer germs on whole cantaloupes after being rinsed, but not all of them are gone. Cantaloupes have germs on the outside that can get on the knife and into the fruit when you cut it. Use hot soapy water or a machine to clean anything that may have come into contact with the cantaloupe.