The multistate cyclospora outbreak grows from 5 to 9 to 15 to 17 states, according to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Those states are Arkansas, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. The new states are Maine and Massachusetts. And the illness onset date range has been expanded to earlier in June and later in August.
There are now 9,481 illnesses from those states, an increase of 3,123 patients from the last update on August 5, 2026. The case count by state is: Arkansas (75), Illinois (245), Indiana (625), Iowa (111), Kansas (232), Kentucky (229), Maine (11), Massachusetts (17), Michigan (4,237), Missouri (819), Nebraska (158), New Hampshire (37), North Carolina (2), Ohio (2,155), Oklahoma (213), Pennsylvania (172), and West Virginia (143). Illness onset dates range from June 14, 2026 to August 3, 2026. The patient age range was not mentioned. At least 398 people have been hospitalized.
The individual states have reported much higher case counts. Michigan says it has 13,909 patients as of August 13, 2026, with 314 hospitalized and two deaths. And Ohio has 3,364. The states include probable cases, while the CDC includes possible cases, which is why the numbers are different.
These patients were mostly sickened from iceberg lettuce sold by Taylor Farms de Mexico to Taco Bell and other establishments such as Walmart. Jack in the Box, and Subway. The lettuce was also sold to huge distributors Cross Valley Farms, Markon, Peak Lettuce, and Sysco. The best by dates for these products has expired, so they should no longer be available for purchase.
But this outbreak will likely continue growing, because there is usually a six week time lag between when a person gets sick, sees a doctor, is tested, and that illness is reported to the government. Most of the illnesses started before the Taylor Farms de Mexico iceberg lettuce recall on July 17, 2026. We are still in that six week time lag period, and will be until August 28, 2026.
For the time being, avoid iceberg lettuce and lettuce blends and salad mixes until we have all the answers, especially if you are in a high risk group for serious complications from food poisoning. And learn the symptoms of cyclosporiasis, so if you do get sick you can see a doctor. Antibiotics are available to treat this illness. Without treatment, this illness can last a month or longer and recur without warning.
