The Health Department in Mexico City has issued a directive to temporarily shut down a melon-packing facility that has been linked to salmonella outbreaks resulting in five deaths in Canada and three deaths in the United States.

The company involved was not named by the department, but Malichita and Rudy brand cantaloupes were linked to the outbreak by Canada’s Public Health Agency.

The country of Mexico did not disclose the details of the violations discovered at the factory in the northern state of Sonora. They also stated that investigations were being conducted to determine the origin of the contamination.

Inspectors collected water samples and wiped surfaces at the facility in order to detect any presence of salmonella bacteria.

Since the month of October, a minimum of 230 individuals in the United States and 129 in Canada have been affected by this outbreak.

Two brands of cantaloupes, Malichita and Rudy, grown in the Sonora region, have been linked to this outbreak.

Sofia Produce LLC and Pacific Trellis Fruit LLC, both located in Nogales, Arizona and Los Angeles respectively, imported the fruit. The recalled amount currently stands at over 36,000 boxes or cases of cantaloupe.

Health experts are cautioning individuals, stores, and eateries to avoid purchasing, consuming, or offering cantaloupe if its origin is unknown.