After weeks of illnesses and deaths, the FDA has finally released the name of the farm responsible for the cantaloupe salmonella outbreak rocking the US this month. To date, 178 people in 21 states have fallen ill after eating the contaminated cantaloupes. Of the 178 individuals affected, 2 have died and 62 have been hospitalized.
The FDA was holding off on reporting the source of the contamination until tests could prove without a doubt that the farm was responsible for the outbreak. Test results came in today and the Food and Drug Administration revealed that Chamberlain Farms of Owensville is at least one source of the outbreak. An official recall of the products was then released, even though Chamberlain Farms voluntarily withdrew its cantaloupes last week.
Of all the states affected, Kentucky was hit the hardest, according to reports. The two deaths both occurred in Kentucky.
Chamberlain Farms sold its cantaloupes to groceries stores in four Southwestern Indiana counties and one in southeastern Illinois. The melons were also sold to wholesale purchasers in St. Louis; Owensboro, Ky.; Peru, Ill., and Durant, Iowa.
On Friday, Indiana health officials urged consumers to discard any cantaloupes grown in Southwestern Indiana purchased after July 7.
The map below shows the number of affected cases by state as of August 17:
Source: CDC.gov
