Fourth person dies from eating Listeria contaminated rockmelon

A fourth person has died from listeria contracted from eating contaminated rockmelons

The latest equates to 2 people from NSW and 2 from Victoria have been killed by the outbreak.

There are now 17 confirmed cases of listeriosis around the country linked to the contaminated rockmelons.

The listeria contaminated rockmelons have been linked to a farm in southern NSW.

Eating foods that contain Listeria bacteria does not cause illness in most people, but in high risk groups it can result in severe illness and even death. High risk groups include infants, the elderly, pregnant women and people with compromised immune systems.

The infection starts with flu-like symptoms such as fever, chills, muscle aches, nausea and sometimes diarrhoea.

The fruit has been pulled from supermarket shelves across the country as a result.