The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) is working alongside its American counterparts to investigate an outbreak of salmonella across three provinces.
As of November 17, there have been 14 laboratory-confirmed cases of Salmonella Soahanina and Sundsvall illness linked to this outbreak in the following provinces: Ontario (3), British Columbia (3), and Quebec (8).
Three people have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.
The PHAC said that Malichita brand cantaloupes have been identified as the likely source of the outbreak.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) issued food recall warnings for Malichita brand cantaloupes on November 1 and November 14. The affected fruit is believed to have been sold between October 11 and November 14, 2023.
To prevent illness, do not eat, serve, use, sell, or distribute Malichita brand cantaloupes or any products made with Malichita brand cantaloupe. If you can't verify the brand of the cantaloupe, the PHAC recommends throwing it away.
Symptoms of salmonella typically start 6 to 72 hours after exposure, and usually last for 4-7 days.
Symptoms may include:
fever
chills
nausea
vomiting
diarrhea
headache
abdominal cramps
Salmonella can spread by person-to-person contact and contaminated surfaces. People who are infected with salmonella can spread it to other people weeks after they've been exposed, even if they don't have symptoms.
The food safety investigation is ongoing and may lead to the recall of other products.
