Two new Cyclospora outbreaks have been added to the FDA's CORE Outbreak Investigation Table. There are a total of six outbreaks on the table. Four of them have not been solved. A new outbreak of Cyclospora cayetanensis illnesses linked to a not yet identified product has been added to the table. There are 26 people sick. FDA has initiated traceback, but no samples have been collected and no inspection ordered. Another new outbreak of Cyclospora cayetanensis illnesses linked to a not yet identified product has been added to the table. Sixteen people are sick in that outbreak. FDA has initiated traceback but there has not been any inspection and no samples have been collected. There are typically some cyclospora outbreaks in the United States every summer. For the outbreak of … [Read more...]
Cyclospora Outbreak of 2023 Ends with 2,272 Sick
The cyclospora outbreak of 2023 has ended, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) with 2,272 people sick and 186 patients hospitalized. No specific cause of these illnesses was identified. These numbers are current as of October 24, 2023. The cases are all lab confirmed. And the patients did not travel outside of the United States during the 14 days before they got sick. Cyclospora is a parasite that is endemic in tropical regions of the globe. It used to be that only travelers to those areas contracted this infection, but in the last ten years it has been making people sick in the United States. These case counts are estimated and don't match what is listed in the Nationally Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System tables because some were reported … [Read more...]
Cyclospora Illnesses Top 1,000 in U.S. with 79 Hospitalized
Domestically acquired cyclospora illnesses in the United States have topped 1,000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with at least 1,063 people sick and 79 hospitalized. This is an increase of 482 more patients since the last update on July 13, 2023. Thirty-four states have reported cases. While cyclospora cases are reported year round in this country, the spring and summer months often sees an explosion in illness. This year cases reported starting in April, when they used to start increasing in May. Cyclospora is endemic to tropical regions, and up until about ten years ago, almost all of these illnesses occurred in people traveling outside the United States. There are three cyclospora outbreaks that are most likely caused by contaminated food, … [Read more...]
Cyclospora and Salmonella Outbreaks Increase; Remain Mysteries
There are now seven active outbreak investigations on the FDA's CORE Outbreak Investigation Table. Of those outbreaks, only one is solved. The others, including three cyclospora outbreaks, one Salmonella outbreak, one E. coli O26 outbreak, and one E. coli O157:H7 outbreak, remain unsolved. For the first cyclospora outbreak, the case count has increased to 47 sick, up from 39 in the last update. Traceback has been initiated, and samples have been collected and are being analyzed. In the second cyclospora outbreak, the case count has increased from 121 sick to 140. In that investigation, traceback has started and samples have been collected and analyzed. In the third cyclospora outbreak, the case count has increased by one more patient, from 68 to 69. Traceback has started, an … [Read more...]
New E. coli and Cyclospora Outbreaks on FDA CORE Table
There are new E. coli and Cyclospora outbreaks on the FDA CORE Outbreak Investigation Table, and case counts have increased in older outbreaks. There are seven outbreaks on the table, and six are unsolved. The FDA does not give out any information about patients until there is some action that consumers can take. The new cyclospora outbreak has sickened at least 39 people. FDA and state partners have started sample collection and testing. In addition, FDA has initiated traceback. A new outbreak of E. coli O26 has been added to the table. There are thirteen people sick in that outbreak, but no food has been identified. FDA has initiated traceback. For the second outbreak of cyclospora, the case count has increased to 121 people sick, from 118 in the last update. Traceback has … [Read more...]
Nationwide Cyclospora Outbreak Sickens 581 With 55 Hospitalized
The nationwide cyclospora outbreak of domestically acquired cases has sickened at least 581 people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Fifty-five people have been hospitalized because they are so sick. That is a huge increase of 371 more patients since the last update on June 23, 2023. The case count range by state is: Arkansas (1-10), California (1-10), Connecticut (1-10), Indiana (1-10), Kansas (1-10), Kentucky (1-10), Massachusetts (1-10), Maryland (1-10), Michigan (1-10), Minnesota (1-10), North Carolina (1-10), Nebraska (1-10), New Jersey (1-10), Pennsylvania (1-10), Rhode Island (1-10), Tennessee (1-10), Utah (1-10), Wisconsin (1-10), West Virginia (1-10), Wyoming (1-10), Florida (11-30), Illinois (11-30), Ohio (11-30), South Carolina (11-30), … [Read more...]
Houston Cyclospora Outbreak Linked to Fort Bend/Harris County
A Houston cyclospora outbreak is linked to a few gatherings in the Fort Bend/Harris county area, according to health officials. No case count numbers or illness onset dates were provided in this update. Dr. Ericka Brown, Deputy Local Health Authority for Harris County Public Health said that cyclospora infections are typically transmitted via raw fruits and vegetables. This infection cannot be passed person-to-person, because the oocyst must mature in the environment after it is expelled in feces. She said, "Cyclospora is actually a normal seasonal bug that we see ... around April of May and last through about August." Until 2016, most cyclospora cases were associated with travel to tropical areas, where this parasites is endemic. Officials are investigating to see whether … [Read more...]