Cyclospora outbreak expands to nine US states, health officials say
A major outbreak of the Cyclospora parasite, linked to iceberg lettuce from central Mexico, has spread to nine US states. Health officials are tracking over 11,000 cases, with Michigan being the most significantly affected region.
Why it matters
The outbreak highlights ongoing challenges in food safety and supply chain transparency, as well as the difficulty of tracing the origins of foodborne illnesses.
Share Save Add as preferred on Google Brandon Drenon US shoppers react to mysterious ‘explosive diarrhoea’ parasite Cyclospora linked to iceberg lettuce has spread to nine US states, part of the largest reported outbreak in US history, health officials said on Friday.
Cases tied to the lettuce from central Mexico now have been reported in Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia had also reported cases linked to the lettuce.
The cyclospora parasite causes cyclosporiasis and leads to explosive diarrhoea. There are multiple outbreaks in the US, likely from different sources.
Since mid-May, the number of cases tracked by the CDC has increased to more than 11,000 across 41 states.
Michigan has been the hardest hit state, with health officials there saying on Friday that the number infected has increased to more than 8,100.
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