Last week, the Salmonella-infected papayas made the front page on any newspaper and news articles. This Friday, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that there were registered 109 infection cases, where 35 people required hospitalization from 16 different states and also, there was registered one death. It has already been announced by the authorities that individuals should stay away from the Maradol brand papayas, these fruits should not be eaten under any circumstances, restaurants are asked not to serve them and also retailers to stop selling the Maradol papayas that come from Mexico, as a precaution until more is known.
The communities are informed that the papaya is a large, oval fruit that weights three pounds or more and also, the Maradol papayas initially have green skin that turns yellow when it is ready to be eaten. People who were infected with salmonella experienced at first diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever in the first 12 to 72 hours after ingesting the fruit. There are cases where individuals recover without specialized treatment, but the condition lasts four to seven days. However, in the worst cases, people required hospitalization due to advanced levels of dehydration.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated that the investigation is ongoing and 64 more people from 15 states were added since the incident. The outbreak started on 17th of May and those people affected by the illness ranged in age from less than one year old to 95. On 19th of July, the Maryland Department of Health reported that some samples of Maradol papayas tested positive for salmonella and informed the people to stay away from the fruit.
The US Food and Drug Administration was the one to identify the Maradol brand of papayas coming from a farm in Mexico and tested the fruits, where five strains of salmonella were singled out. On 26th of July, the company which distributes the papayas, Grande Produce, recalled the product from the US markets.
