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Health See other Health Articles Title: Indiana melons linked to US salmonella outbreak Health officials in Indiana and Kentucky say they are investigating farms, distributors and retailers after an outbreak of salmonella that has killed two and sickened at least 141 people nationwide was linked to cantaloupe grown in southwestern Indiana. Officials Friday advised all Indiana residents to discard cantaloupes purchased since July 7. The Kentucky Department of Public Health warned people not to eat the cantaloupes. Tests found the fruit carried the same strain of salmonella that has killed two and sickened more than 50 in Kentucky. Salmonella infections result in diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps. Most people recover without treatment, but severe infections can occur in infants, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says 31 have been hospitalized in this outbreak that has hit 20 states. Poster Comment: we're screwed Well, last year we had cantaloupes in Colorado and now its melons in Indiana. Anyone ever heard of washing their fruit and vegetables? Big government junkies will try to tell us this Salmonella thing is why we need the USDA and subsidiaries. Common sense could replace half of all government agencies and do it all for free. SmileD Melons (or any vegetables or fruit for that matter) are not the cause of salmonella poisoning. It is the fecal matter of animals and/or humans that is on the outside of the food. If you don't wash the food properly (I use fruit/veggie wash for pesticides as well as 35% H202 for micro-organisms) you will carry the fecal material into the food & eat it, making yourself sick. It might sound extreme to wash food to that extent but this is the world we live in. We sanitize our hands but don't think about washing our food properly. Comment Not really, cantaloupes have a rough skin where bacteria can stick and not be washed away. If it is cut open and allowed to sit in a warm area, the bacteria enters the soft part, maybe from the knife blade picking it up from the skin and then passing thru to cut it open and it multiplies very quickly. Any cracks or soft spots from being over ripe will also allow bacteria to enter. Cantaloupe should be washed first, cut and rinsed and then put immediately into a cooler and also eaten within a day or so once it is sliced. Cool water is preferable for washing various fruits - simply because the temperature difference can cause bacteria to be drawn into a fruit or vegetable as it cools if washed in hot water. Tomato is particularly able to do this. If it is washed in hot or warm water, then as it cools whatever is on the surface gets drawn inside. If it is washed in cold water, the internal temperature is hotter so it tends to expand after washing and drive out any possible contamination. Sofia: Growing fruits and vegetables close to animals grazing, it's the source of contamination of fruits and vegetables. The irrigation water carries the feces to the growing area. Years ago there was an e-coli outbreak from apple cider from Washington State. The cause, apples were picked up from the ground and processed. The ground was contaminated by goat feces that were pasturing around the apple trees. Robright: Growing fruits and vegetables close to animals grazing, it's the source of contamination of fruits and vegetables. The irrigation water carries the feces to the growing area. Years ago there was an e-coli outbrake from apple cider from Washington State. The cause, apples were picked up from the ground and processed. The ground was contaminated by goat feces that were pasturing around the apple trees. Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top Page Up Full Thread Page Down Bottom/Latest
#1. To: Tatarewicz (#0)
A small amount of pure bleach in the wash water works as well. And maintaining a healthy probiotic environment in the digestive tract helps to fend off small introductions of nasty bugs. |
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