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Cyclosporiasis outbreak reaches 31 US states
BBC··15 Jul
A cyclosporiasis outbreak has reached 31 US states and infected over 3,000 people, causing frequent watery diarrhoea from a parasite spread through contaminated food or water. Michigan reported over 2,600 cases. Public health officials have not identified contamination sources. Experts said the one-to-two-week incubation period and scaled-back federal FoodNet surveillance complicate tracing the outbreak's origins.
Prism
What It Means For You
- Travelers to the US should wash produce thoroughly and cook vegetables.
- The outbreak's slow incubation makes it hard to link illness to specific foods.
- Reduced federal foodborne disease monitoring may delay future outbreak responses.
What's Happening
- Over 3,000 cyclosporiasis cases have been reported across 31 US states.
- Michigan accounts for more than 2,600 of the confirmed infections.
- Health officials have not yet identified the contamination sources.
Outbreak Investigation
- The parasite causes frequent watery diarrhoea through contaminated food or water.
- Federal FoodNet surveillance for cyclospora was scaled back last year.
- Epidemiologists are interviewing patients about meals from one to two weeks prior.
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