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Thirteen people are dead and another 72 have become ill from eating listeria-laden cantaloupe, including one casualty from central Maryland. Where did this unlucky soul pick up the toxic melon? It’s a mystery. WaPo reports that state officials are still investigating.
The paper’s own “quick survey” of major supermarket chains found no cantaloupes from the Colorado producer implicated in the outbreak on local shelves. But health officials are still warning folks to be wary of the fruit.
Meanwhile, Slate breaks down the numbers and points out that you’re five times more likely to die of an insect sting than contaminated fruit.
Given those odds, would you even dare to bite into the orange melon right now?
U.S. Department of Agriculture photo by Scott Bauer