Eight cases of salmonella linked to imported cantaloupes in B.C.

British Columbia's Centre for Disease Control says there have been eight confirmed cases of a rare strain of salmonella in the province since mid-November.

The centre says in a statement that the outbreak has been linked to imported cantaloupes sold under the label "Malichita" that should be disposed of and not consumed.

It says the cases cover people ranging in age from less than a year to 68 years old, living in the Vancouver Coastal Health, Fraser Health and Island Health regions.

Symptoms of the illness include diarrhea, abdominal pain and sometimes fever, nausea and vomiting.

The centre says B.C.'s cases show a link to recalled cantaloupes elsewhere in Canada and the United States and on Tuesday the Canadian Food Inspection Agency updated its recall notice from earlier this month to include B.C.

British Columbians are being told to discard Malichita cantaloupes that were sold from Oct. 11 to Nov. 14 as well as any other cantaloupes if their origin is unclear.