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The phrase 'killer cantaloupes' may be reminiscent of the cult horror film Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, but this particular fruit poses a real threat. A penchant for eating cantaloupes has been responsible for two recent deaths and a horde of illnesses so far.

Cantaloupes grown on an Indiana farm have infected at least 141 people with the Typhimurium strain of salmonella throughout 20 states. Although salmonella usually presents a danger to humans in undercooked meat, some types of the virus can linger on the surface of fruits.

Although most salmonella infections result in diarrhea, vomiting and cramps, it can be fatal if the infection spreads from the intestine into other areas of the body, such as the bloodstream. That is what happened to two unfortunate cantaloupe consumers in Kentucky.

The Indiana farm which grew the dangerous cantaloupes is currently under investigation by numerous agencies from the local to federal level. Some of the potential causes of salmonella finding its way to fruits are the use of uncomposted manure, contaminated water or even the droppings of birds and animals.

Although salmonella only lingers on the surface of melons like cantaloupes, it is far too simple to contaminate the inside of the fruit when slicing it with a knife. Simply washing the outside of fruits with porous exteriors like cantaloupes may not be enough to prevent the risk of infection. It is a scary thought that even fresh fruit can pose a health risk, but it is an unfortunate reality.

In order to prevent further exposure to the killer cantaloupes, the Center for Disease Control urges consumers to check the source of the melons before eating them. "If no sticker is present, consumers should inquire about the source. When in doubt, throw it out."

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Killer Cantaloupes Linked to Indiana Farm

In the wake of 10 deaths due to West Nile virus, and hundreds of infections, authorities in Texas are spraying insecticide in the Dallas region, hoping to curb the spread of the disease, which can spread by mosquitoes.

A total of 693 cases of West Nile virus infections, including 26 deaths, were reported as of Aug. 14 to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The number of cases reported by this second week in August is the highest since 1999, when the disease was first seen in the U.S., according to the CDC.

ANALYSIS: Mosquitoes Killed Two Killer Whales

About 60 percent of this year's cases have involved the "neuroinvasive" form of West Nile infection, in which the nervous system is affected. Such cases can cause inflammation of neural tissues, such as meningitis and encephalitis. More than 80 percent of all reported cases were from six states (Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Oklahoma, South Dakota and California), and almost half of all cases have been reported from Texas.

Here are five things you need to know about West Nile virus:

1. What is West Nile virus?

West Nile virus is a type of virus called a flavivirus. Other viruses in this group cause dengue, yellow fever and Japanese encephalitis. Flaviviruses are commonly transmitted by ticks and mosquitoes. West Nile virus was first identified in Uganda in 1937, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

2. How does West Nile Virus spread?

It is likely that West Nile is spread from birds to people through mosquito bites, the NIH says. Early fall is the time of year that mosquitoes tend to have the highest levels of the virus, and human cases tend to peak around this time.

The virus can also be spread through blood transfusions and organ transplants. Pregnant women can transmit the virus to their fetus, and mothers can transmit it to babies through breast milk, the CDC says.

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5 Things You Should Know About West Nile Virus

Investigating the seedy side ... author of the book The Money Shot, Jeff Sparrow. Photo: Ken Irwin

"What was jail like?'' Darrell Cohen stares at me, and then his face scrunches up. His head slumps into his hands and he begins, wordlessly, to sob.

Few people know that, throughout the states of Australia, retailing X-rated pornography remains illegal. You can own the stuff, you can buy it, but you are not allowed to sell it.

The National Classification Code - which governs the censorship of literature, film, TV and video games - reflects a heated battle over video pornography in the 1980s.

Illustration: Rocco Fazzari

Australians were early enthusiasts for the VCR revolution, a boom that historians of technology attribute largely to porn. The early machines were expensive - but they meant you could watch hard-core videos in the privacy of your lounge room.

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In response to the suddenly flourishing market of VCR porn, the federal government introduced the X category. But anti-porn activists, both social conservatives and feminists, convinced the state governments not to ratify corresponding schemes in their own jurisdictions.

Since then, the laws have remained largely frozen, a strange and unsatisfactorycompromise that leaves the adult industry in a weird limbo.

In theory, the sex shops in Melbourne and Sydney are illegal. But illegality assists a peculiar freedom - most of the time.

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Video nasty: one man's ordeal and society's mixed messages on porn

Janata Dal-United chief Sharad Yadav on Saturday advocated temporary ban on social networking sites to check rumour mongering in view of exodus of people hailing from the northeast from various parts of the country.

Talking to reporters in New Delhi [ Images ], he also hit out at the central government's "inept handling" of the situation arising out of the ethnic violence in Assam.

"Why has the government not asked these social networking sites to disclose the names of those who first uploaded such inflammatory messages... These sites should themselves come forward to help the country track down these anti-social and anti-national forces... If they don't volunteer, the government should temporarily suspend these operations in national interest," he said.

He noted that the freedom of expression cannot be allowed to destroy the very foundation of the country's freedom itself.

"The violence in Assam and its fallout in other parts of the country leading to the exodus, has completely exposed the inept handling of the situation. If the state government ignored all warnings and signals and mishandled the situation in the first place, the central government failed to foresee the hidden hand behind these riots and the worsening situation," Yadav said, adding he was shocked to see the "helplessness" of this "incompetent" government.

"It even failed to visualise the magnitude of the problem in the first place and devise a proper plan to take firm action against anti-social and anti-national elements, who used the social networking sites to spread canards," he said.

Yadav said the government's order to ban bulk SMSes won't suffice and demanded to know who are the people spreading rumours through the social networking sites.

"Why has the government not tracked down those elements, who used the bulk SMSes to spread these rumours," he said.

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JD-U chief for temporary ban on social networking sites

By Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, Aug. 16 (HealthDay News) -- Every American born between 1945 and 1965 should be tested for the liver-destroying virus hepatitis C, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended Thursday.

One in 30 Baby Boomers is infected with the virus and most don't know it. Hepatitis C is a leading cause of liver cancer and other liver diseases, and is the leading cause of liver transplants, the CDC said.

"And deaths from hepatitis C have nearly doubled over the past decade," CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden said during an afternoon news conference. "Unless we take action now, deaths will increase substantially in the coming years."

Baby boomers are five times more likely to have hepatitis C than other adult Americans, Frieden said.

So, the CDC is now recommending one-time testing for hepatitis C for everyone in the country born between 1945 and 1965, he said. All those who test positive for the virus should receive a brief alcohol screening and intervention and be referred to appropriate care and treatment services. Alcohol use has been shown to accelerate the progression of liver disease, the agency added.

Until now, the recommendation had been for testing only those at risk. "But that approach missed far too many infections," Frieden explained.

These new recommendations take into account that more than 2 million Baby Boomers are infected with hepatitis C, accounting for more than 75 percent of all American adults living with the disease.

Many Baby Boomers were infected years ago and don't consider themselves at risk, so they've never been screened, Frieden noted.

Hepatitis C is a "silent killer," living in the liver for years while slowly destroying it, Dr. John Ward, director of the division of viral hepatitis at the CDC, said during the news conference.

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Test all baby boomers for hepatitis C