Dozens of people have been sickened and at least one person has died in a salmonella outbreak linked to a specific variety of papayas, the Centers for Disease Control said.
A total of 47 people in 12 states have been diagnosed with salmonella infections believed to have been caused by yellow Maradol papayas, the CDC said in a news release.
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration is investigating the outbreak and in a Tuesday recall notice, urged consumers to avoid all Caribeña brand Maradol papayas. Grande Produce initiated a limited recall of their Caribeña brand Maradol papayas distributed nationwide from July 7 - July 18, 2017, according to the recall notice.
The FDA said there are reported illnesses in states where Grande Produce did not distribute papayas, so the investigation is ongoing.
At least a dozen people have been hospitalized and one death has been reported, according to the CDC. Illnesses were first reported in mid-May and ended in late June, but the CDC said any illness reports filed after June 23 may not be captured in the current data.
The CDC urges all consumers, restaurants and other businesses to refrain from serving and eating yellow Maradol papayas at this time. The yellow Maradol papaya is described by the CDC as "a large, oval fruit that weighs 3 or more pounds, with green skins that turn yellow when the fruit is ripe. The flesh inside the fruit is salmon-colored."
Other forms and brands of papaya are not part of the recall at this time.
About the Author
