Nurses chase Cyclospora using grocery receipts, food apps and detailed interviews
Public health nurses in Washtenaw County, Michigan, are conducting intensive contact tracing to manage a Cyclospora outbreak following a previous measles outbreak. The process involves detailed interviews and data collection to contain the spread of the illness.
Why it matters
This report illustrates the critical role of public health infrastructure and the challenges of community cooperation during disease outbreaks.
More than 900 people in Washtenaw County, Michigan have been sickened with cyclosporiasis since mid-June. Linda Kim, a public health nurse, has spoken to more than 100 of them.
This story was produced in partnership with KFF Health News .
Almost everyone's said the same thing: It's excruciating, and one of the worst illnesses they've experienced.
But on a Wednesday in July, she called one man who said he wouldn't mind having it again, actually.
"You're enjoying the weight loss?" Kim said, laughing as she took notes in a small conference room at the Washtenaw County Health Department building, just outside Ann Arbor. "Well, I'm glad to hear that. At least you got something good out of it!"
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