CDC: Deadly salmonella outbreak linked to papayas

Dozens of people have been sickened and at least one person has died in a salmonella outbreak linked to a specific variety of papayas, the Centers for Disease Control said.

A total of 47 people in 12 states have been diagnosed with salmonella infections believed to have been caused by yellow Maradol papayas, the CDC said in a news release.

At least a dozen people have been hospitalized and one death has been reported, according to the CDC. Illnesses were first reported in mid-May and ended in late June, but the CDC said any illness reports filed after June 23 may not be captured in the current data.

One person has been reportedly infected with the outbreak strain in Massachusetts. There have been no cases in New Hampshire, or any other states in New England.

The CDC urges all consumers, restaurants and other businesses to refrain from serving and eating yellow Maradol papayas at this time. The yellow Maradol papaya is described by the CDC as "a large, oval fruit that weighs 3 or more pounds, with green skins that turn yellow when the fruit is ripe. The flesh inside the fruit is salmon-colored."

Cox Media Group