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How to Stay Safe During the Cyclospora Outbreak, According to Experts

As Cyclospora spreads across more than 30 states, experts say washing produce and avoiding bagged salads may help reduce your risk.

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The label says “washed and ready to eat.” Wash it anyway. A Cyclospora outbreak (aka explosive diarrhea) has been spreading across more than 30 states since May, and the US food supply has a parasite problem that’s getting harder to ignore.

Michigan has taken the worst of it, with over 3,300 cases reported and 44 hospitalizations as of this week, according to state health officials. Ohio has logged over 1,100. Combined, the two states alone represent one of the worst years on record for the infection, which causes frequent, watery, and sometimes explosive diarrhea, nausea, and stomach cramps. Epidemiologist Michael Osterholm of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research told CIDRAP that public health communication has........

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