4 Dead In Cantaloupe Listeria Outbreak

CDC: Death toll could rise as germ lingers

WASHINGTON — Four people have died in an outbreak of listeria traced to Colorado cantaloupes, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday.

One death occurred in Colorado, one in Oklahoma and two in New Mexico. The death count could soon rise to six. Chad Smelser of the New Mexico Department of Heath said the CDC is in the process of confirming two additional deaths linked to the outbreak in his state.

The CDC said that 35 people in 10 states have been sickened in the outbreak so far. The illnesses are in California, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and West Virginia. Colorado has the most illnesses with 12 sickened, followed by Oklahoma with six and New Mexico with five.

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