Gary McLendon
Democrat and Chronicle
A death in Ontario County linked to the national listeria outbreak has been reported.
The Ontario County Public Health Department said Friday that the death of an elderly person with underlying health conditions is connected to listeria in Colorado cantaloupes.
This is the first confirmed case in New York state, Ontario County health officials said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday said 109 people have been sickened in the outbreak - including 21 dead - in 23 states from California to the East Coast. Because the incubation period for a listeria attack is up to 10 weeks, the number may continue to grow.
Jensen Farms in Holly, Colo., recalled the tainted cantaloupes Sept. 14. They were shipped all over the country but should be off store shelves by now.
"Any cantaloupe not purchased from Jensen Farms is safe to eat," said Barbara Roszak, director of preventive health services for the Ontario County health department.
The department would not release additional details about the victim's identity, where he or she lived or died or where the cantaloupe was purchased.
Information on whether the health threat posed by tainted cantaloupe has been abated in the county also was not available.
Roszak and Dorothy Huber, the Ontario County Legislature's Health Committee chairwoman, referred further requests for information to the CDC.
"I don't think there's any detailed information available locally on the threat of possible exposure," Huber said.
As a precaution, Huber suggested that anyone not sure of the safety of their fruit should not eat it.
"When in doubt, throw it out," she said.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration reported this week that Fruit Fresh Up Inc. of Depew, Erie County, which purchased cantaloupe from Jensen Farms, issued a recall of fresh cut cantaloupe and mixed fruit containing cantaloupe.
Fruit Fresh Up recalled about 4,800 individual packages of the fruit because they have the potential to be contaminated with listeria.
Wegmans reported the product recall on its website about a week ago. The company said the recall affected fresh cut cantaloupe products sold at Buffalo-area stores only between Aug. 31 and Sept. 11.
The following products were recalled: Cantaloupe Chunks, Cantaloupe Slices, Gourmet Fruit Salad, Small Fruit Salad, Small and Large Fruit Salad with Pineapple, Fruit Salad with Kiwi and Fruit Trays.
On Friday, Wegmans spokesperson Jo Natale said there is no indication that the Ontario County death is linked to fruit sold at Wegmans.
In a statement Friday, Tops Friendly Markets said it is not affected by the Fruit Fresh Up recall.
"Tops Markets does not receive whole, fresh cantaloupes from Jensen Farms. Tops produce associates cut fruit in-store daily, therefore our cut-fruit and mixed cut fruit remains unaffected as well by this recall," the store's statement said.
FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said this week that the agency is still investigating the cause of the outbreak. Officials have said they are looking at the farm's water supply and possible animal intrusions among other things to figure out the source of the problem. Listeria bacteria grow in moist, muddy conditions and are often carried by animals.
Symptoms of listeria infections include fever, headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea.
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