The 48 state Cyclospora outbreak has grown to include 29,024 lab confirmed and possible cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). For comparison, last year there were 1,180 cases reported nationwide. These numbers do include the patients in the 17 state outbreak linked to recalled Taylor Farms de Mexico iceberg lettuce.
The only states not included in this outbreak are Hawaii and Delaware. Washington D.C. is included, and New Mexico has been added to the total. The patient age range is from 1 to 99. Nine hundred twenty two people have been hospitalized, an increase of 94 more patients since the last update was issued on August 18, 2026. Two people who lived in Michigan have died. The hardest hit states are Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Virginia, Texas, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, West Virginia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and New York.
The true number of patients is likely much higher than this number. Epidemiologists use the multiplier of 83.1 to estimate the actual number of sick people in a cyclospora outbreak, because most people do not visit a doctor when they contract this infection and are not counted. Using that multiplier, there may be more than 2,400,000 Americans sick in this outbreak.
Multiple clusters of cyclosporiasis are being investigated, including the 17 state outbreak. At least six other clusters have been identified, and the source of those illnesses has not been confirmed. North Carolina did state that parsley and cilantro may have caused illnesses in their state. The clusters are listed on the FDA CORE Outbreak Investigation Table.
The typical season for outbreaks linked to this parasite is from May 1 to August 31. Hopefully we are getting to the end of the season, although it can take six weeks between when a patient gets sick and the illness is diagnosed and reported to public health officials, so case counts will probably be increasing into October.
If you have been experiencing the symptoms of cyclosporiasis, see your doctor. You may be part of this outbreak. And there are treatments to help reduce the length and severity of the illness, which can continue for weeks.
