A man aged in his 80s has become the fifth person to die in Australia after eating rockmelons contaminated with listeria bacteria, local media reported on Friday.
The people all ate rockmelons grown on one farm near the town of Griffith, 575 kilometres west of Sydney.
At least 17 elderly people across Australia have been diagnosed with listeria infections after eating the contaminated rockmelons.
How the rockmelons came to be contaminated with is still a mystery to health officials, but all fruit from the farm has been removed from shops across Australia.
The outbreak was detected on February 28. Fruit from all other farms have been cleared.
Chief Health Officer in the state of Victoria, Brett Sutton, said one miscarriage has also been linked to the outbreak, the broadcaster ABC reported.
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