Avoiding cantaloupe -- am I crazy?

[Dov'sMom]

So apparently there's been an outbreak of listeria in the US with at least 8 deaths since August linked to ingestion of Colorado cantaloupe.

The median age of affected persons is somewhere in the 80s, reflecting the general fact that listeria is often completely asymptomatic in healthy people. However, an asymptomatic pregnant woman can still pass it on to her fetus and listeria in a fetus is very scary.

So am I crazy for not eating cantaloupe? When I first heard about this outbreak, I saw that my state was not on the list of states the affected farm exported to, but states around me were. In a moment of panic, I made DH eat the cantaloupe I had packed myself for lunch and took it off my shopping list.

A week later I decided that was silly so I went out and bought some more cantaloupe. I packed it for lunch today but just before eating it I decided to google "cantaloupe listeria X state" and it turns out they just traced a death not far from me to listeria from these cantaloupes. They're still not sure how she got the cantaloupe or if it was/is distributed in our state.

Am I nuts to stop eating it? I'm not usually super careful about this sort of thing -- I don't avoid nitrates, I have a cup of real coffee every morning, I use artificial sweeteners (very moderately, but still) -- but listeria just sort of freaks me out.

Is anyone else out there in the midwest or eastern seaboard avoiding cantaloupe?

[Flor]

There have been other health scares linked to cantaloupe (salmonella). I personally am a bit freaked by listeria so I don't do cold cuts while pregnant either, but like you I also drink some caffiene and use some artificial sweeteners. I think those things are fine in moderation-- but listeria is not fine in moderation!   I think it has to do with the bumpy surface of the cantaloupe. When I do serve it to my family, I always scrub it with dish soap and a scrub brush. Other melons I was with my hands and soap.

[Urchin]

Listeria is VERY serious during pregnancy. If it were me, I just wouldn't take the chance.

[34me]

My dh works in food safety (and I live in Colorado).  If I was pregnant and the thought made me anxious, I wouldn't eat it.  If I wasn't pregnant I would wash it, then eat it.

[AbbieB]

I'm not eating it right now.

[Vermillion]

Not crazy. I won't touch it either. I'm not typically a huge "avoid everything" kind of person... I have no problem having a coke or iced coffee every now and then... but if it's going to cause me a huge amount of anxiety after eating it, I'm not going to. Not worth it!

This whole melon thing is really frustrating for me though! I feel like even if you're perfect and avoid everything that could hurt the baby, there is always some new issue cropping up! Feels like nothing is ever safe enough!

---

[Mulvah]

I am not normally the type to avoid things in pregnancy, but I would find something else to satisfy the craving.
Edited by Mulvah - 10/2/11 at 2:30pm