Cyclosporiasis

• The CDC has expanded the largest known cyclosporiasis outbreak to 15 states, adding Arkansas, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, and North Carolina to the list. • Health officials have traced the illnesses to shredded iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico. • This expansion highlights a significant food safety failure and the wide geographic reach of contaminated produce distributed across the U.S.

Six additional states caught up in investigation after Michigan reported first two US deaths linked to diseaseThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reportedly expanded the largest known cyclosporiasis outbreak to 15 states.The alleged expansion includes the addition of six states, according to the Washington Post, which cited three people familiar with the matter. Those states include Arkansas, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire and North Carolina, according to a fourth person familiar who spoke to the paper. Continue reading...

US sees first fatalities due to intestinal illness, though both had significant ​underlying health conditionsTwo people have died from cyclosporiasis in Michigan, the state’s health department said on Monday, marking the first fatalities in the largest US outbreak ⁠of the intestinal illness.Both ⁠individuals had significant ​underlying health conditions that may have been affected by cyclosporiasis and dehydration, according to medical records. Continue reading...

• A Cyclosporiasis outbreak has been reported across 17 states, with 145 confirmed cases of the gastrointestinal disease caused by the Cyclospora parasite. • The CDC has issued an alert to health care workers to ensure rapid diagnosis and proper response, as the infection spreads via contaminated food or water. • This outbreak is critical for infection prevention and control (IPC) teams to manage, as timely identification is necessary to protect patients and contain the spread.

Data by one test-maker shows a positivity drop, but rate could be influenced by number of people taking testSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailThe maker of a popular laboratory test said the cyclosporiasis outbreak in the US may be slowing. An outbreak of infections from the single-celled parasite has grown to more than 18,000 suspected and confirmed cases in late July, the nation’s largest on record.The midwest has been hit particularly hard in the outbreak, where public health officials have linked infections in nine states to iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms’ Mexico operations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said people in at least nine states appear to have connected cases. Continue reading...

US states and federal government tracking cases as outbreak comes amid cuts to public health fundingAn outbreak of cyclosporiasis highlights how US states and the federal government work together to track foodborne illnesses – and where they diverge.Experts said the enormous number of cases, potentially more than 11,000 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) count, is symptomatic of “vulnerabilities” in food safety systems in the US. Continue reading...

• The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) delayed the enforcement of a critical policy intended to improve the tracking and removal of contaminated foods prior to a cyclosporiasis outbreak. • This policy failure specifically impacted the ability to monitor and recall dangerous produce, including iceberg lettuce, which is often linked to such outbreaks. • The incident highlights how weakened regulatory policies and reduced funding can compromise food safety systems and increase public health risks.