The multistate outbreak of listeriosis linked to cantaloupes now includes another death -- this one in Wyoming -- and a miscarriage in Iowa, along with another melon recall by a western New York distributor supplied by Colorado's Jensen Farms.
At the start of the week, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had confirmed 100 cases of listeriosis, including 18 fatalities, in 20 states to be part of the outbreak. But the death of an elderly Sheridan County, WY woman during the previous week was not reported until after CDC's most recent update.
Wyoming health officials, citing federal privacy laws, have declined to further identify the woman. Her death means at least 19 people have died in the outbreak that became public knowledge only 25 days ago.
The Iowa Department of Public Health announced that an unnamed woman from the northwest part of the state had experienced a miscarriage due to Listeria infection. The case was the first reported in Iowa, so the outbreak may now involve at least 21 states. Iowa was not on the Jensen Farms' distribution list.
State officials said the miscarriage came early in the woman's pregnancy. Two other pregnant women have been confirmed to be infected with the outbreak strain of Listeria and their cases are being monitored, according to the CDC.
The outbreak is under investigation by CDC, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and state health departments, which have not yet revealed what they've learned about how the cantaloupes became contaminated. The outbreak may also be subject to an investigation and public hearing by the congressional Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation.