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Cyclospora outbreak expands to nine US states, health officials say
BBC • • business
Key Points:
- A cyclospora outbreak linked to iceberg lettuce from central Mexico has spread to nine US states, marking the largest reported outbreak in US history with over 11,000 cases across 41 states since mid-May.
- Michigan is the hardest hit, with more than 8,100 reported infections, and affected individuals describe the illness as extremely painful due to severe diarrhoea caused by the parasite.
- The CDC has warned against consuming recalled iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms, which voluntarily recalled all its central Mexico-sourced iceberg lettuce on July 17 as a precaution.
- Initial FDA tests that reportedly found cyclospora in Taylor Farms lettuce were later retracted as false positives, highlighting the difficulty in tracing the parasite's origins and linking cases due to delayed symptom onset.
- Experts caution that the investigation will be slow, as symptoms can appear weeks after ingestion, complicating efforts to identify common sources and track the outbreak's progression.
