Largest US outbreak of explosive diarrhoea parasite is over, officials say
More than 12,000 cases of cyclosporiasis, including two deaths, were linked to imported lettuce.
Largest US outbreak of explosive diarrhoea parasite is over, officials say
The biggest outbreak of an intestinal infection that spread through multiple US states and sickened more than 12,000 people has now ended, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Friday.
Two people died and 570 were hospitalised in recent months in connection with the cyclospora outbreak, a microscopic parasite that can cause explosive diarrhoea.
In an advisory stating that the outbreak was over, the CDC said cases had "significantly declined", while it continued to investigate the source of the infection.
Officials have tied the outbreak, which affected 21 states, to lettuce imported from Mexico by Taylor Farms, a major supplier to many US food outlets.
Taylor Farms said it had voluntarily recalled lettuce sourced from central Mexico, and US fast-food chain Taco Bell said it had removed lettuce from the supplier from its menu.
Cyclospora causes an intestinal illness known as cyclosporiasis. It spreads through contaminated food or water and can lead to symptoms including severe diarrhoea.
The CDC says deaths from cyclosporiasis are rare because it is "not usually life-threatening".
Health officials in Michigan said the two deaths, both in the state, involved people with "significant underlying health conditions that may have been impacted by cyclosporiasis and dehydration".
CDC data shows there have been nearly 20,000 confirmed cyclosporiasis cases since 1 May, along with more than 1,000 hospitalisations. Cases have been reported in 49 states, as well as DC.
The agency says the real number of people who have been ill from the parasite is likely much higher.
Although most of these cases were linked to the contaminated lettuce, thousands were not.
UK health officials have also warned about the outbreak after recent cases in returning travellers.
Before this latest outbreak, the worst year for infections was 2019, when there were about 4,700 across the country.