健康英语新闻:U.S. listeria death toll rises to 15

WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- At least 15 people have been killed amid 84 sickened in 19 states in listeria outbreak traced to Colorado cantaloupes, making it the most deadly U.S. outbreak of food-borne infection since 1998, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Friday.

Of the 15 victims, five were in New Mexico, three in Colorado, two in Texas, and one each in Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma. Health departments in Wyoming and Kansas have said they are investigating additional deaths that may be connected to the outbreak.

The previous toll announced on Tuesday was 13 dead and 72 sick.

The Food and Drug Administration on Sept. 14 warned consumers not to eat cantaloupes from Colorado's Rocky Ford region shipped by Jensen Farms. The cantaloupes with the brand name Rocky Ford were distributed from July 29 to Sept. 10 in at least 17 states.

"Even if some of the cantaloupe has been eaten without becoming ill, dispose of the rest of the cantaloupe immediately. Listeria bacteria can grow in the cantaloupe at room and refrigerator temperatures," the CDC said.

Listeria is a common bacterium that typically causes mild illness in healthy people, but can cause severe illness in older people and those with compromised immune systems. It also can cause miscarriages and stillbirths in pregnant women and severe infections in new babies.

Listeria infections lead to about 1,600 serious illnesses each year and about 260 people die, according to the CDC.

The CDC estimates that about 48 million people in the U.S. each year get sick from tainted food, with about 128,000 hospitalized and 3,000 deaths.