Federal health officials say five people have died, and almost two dozen others got sick, after eating pre-packaged caramel apples in Wisconsin and nine other states.
The US Centers for Disease Control has identified 28 cases in which people suffered from illnesses caused by identical strains of bacterial listeria, with three cases in Wisconsin. Of those, 26 were hospitalized and five died. Listeriosis was linked to four of those deaths.
The CDC says two deaths were in Minnesota and one was in Texas. The locations of the other two deaths have not been released.
The agency says the reported illnesses occurred between October 17th and Thanksgiving Day. Health officials are still trying to determine which brands of caramel apples is linked to the outbreak.
UPDATE: Wisconsin agriculture officials now say there are three Wisconsin-based cases tied to the outbreak. An earlier report from the CDC indicated there were two cases in Wisconsin.