Cyclospora cases in US hit all time high
Cyclospora cases in US hit all time high
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it confirmed more than 2,500 additional cases of cyclosporiasis infections across dozens of states, making it the largest outbreak on record.
Nationwide, CDC said it has confirmed 4,173 cases of cyclosporiasis since May 1, though some states are seeing much higher case numbers than others. The worst year in the U.S. for infections was 2019, when about 4,700 illnesses were reported, according to federal data on confirmed and suspected cases.
The CDC is investigating more than 7,400 additional cases that are not yet laboratory confirmed. Many of the additional illnesses have been reported by Michigan and Ohio, and health officials and experts have said that the actual number of infections is likely higher.
The illnesses are caused by cyclospora, a parasite transmitted through contaminated food and water. There are multiple clusters of cyclospora cases, and health authorities do not have a definitive answer to what products are making people sick.
Still, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Tuesday the outbreak was “under control.”
The Food and Drug Administration has linked one outbreak across five states— Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia— to iceberg lettuce from........
