One Of 35 Cases Of Listeriosis Nationwide Identified In El Paso

One of 35 nationwide cases of listeriosis has been identified in El Paso, according to the City of El Paso Department of Public Health.

Officials said the case is linked to the multistate outbreak that has killed eight people.

An 80-year-old woman has been confirmed to have contracted the strain of listeriosis that is part of the recent outbreak. Officials said she is recovering at home after receiving treatment at a local hospital.

Symptoms of listeriosis include fever and muscle aches and can be fatal.

Ten states, including New Mexico, have seen cases from people eating contaminated cantaloupe.

The City of El Paso Department of Public Health discovered the woman had eaten cantaloupe in the past few weeks. Further investigation by the department led officials to contact eight of the area’s largest cantaloupe retailers.

Local health department officials are continuing to urge residents not to consume cantaloupe from Jensen Farms and to dispose of it in a closed plastic bag inside a sealed trash container in order to prevent other people or animals from eating it.

Health officials said the recalled fruit is marked with either a green and white sticker that reads: Product of USA- Frontera Produce-Colorado Fresh-Rocky Ford-Cantaloupe or a gray, yellow, and green sticker that reads: Jensen Farms-Sweet Rocky Fords.

If consumers don’t know where their cantaloupe came from, officials recommend contacting the store where they purchased it to find out if the fruit could be contaminated.