Domestically acquired cases of cyclospora have sickened 1,696 people in 33 states, the District of Columbia, and New York City as of August 28, 2019, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Some of these illnesses are linked to fresh imported basil and some restaurants and events throughout the country. But many of the individual cases could not be linked to a specific outbreak, in part because of the lack of validated molecular typing tools for the Cyclospora parasite.
Identified cyclosporiasis outbreaks in the summer of 2019 include:
- An outbreak linked to fresh basil imported by Siga Logistics from Mexico, which has sickened at least 205 people in 11 states. That outbreak was last updated on August 15, 2019.
- An outbreak associated with three workplace cafeterias in Virginia. At least 39 people are ill.
- An outbreak at Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant in Jacksonville, Florida has sickened 80 to 100 people.
- In Minnesota, 35 people are sick in an outbreak associated with three restaurants.
- An outbreak in Northern Virginia and the Arlington area has sickened at least 55 people.
- In Boston, cyclosporiasis has sickened more than 100 people.
- A cyclospora outbreak in Michigan, associated with a restaurant, has sickened at least eight people.
- In New York, an outbreak has sickened at least 11 people.
Cyclospora outbreaks have occurred in the United States every summer for the past few years. Reports of illness start to increase in May, and the number of cases typically peak in June and July, although illnesses can continue through September.
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At least 92 people have been hospitalized because they are so sick. No deaths have been reported to date. The median illness onset date was June 29, 2019, with the range from May 1 through August 13, 2019.
Symptoms of cyclosporiasis, the illness caused by this single celled parasite, include watery and explosive diarrhea that can apparently resolve and then recur without warning, loss of appetite, weight loss, cramps, bloating, increased gas, nausea, and fatigue. If you have experienced these symptoms, see your doctor. You may be part of this cyclospora outbreak. There is treatment for this illness.
