July 31 (Reuters) – Michigan reported 10,773 cases linked to a cyclosporiasis outbreak on Friday, up 387 from the previous day, the state health department said in its latest update.
Cases of the intestinal infection have risen steadily across the U.S., with the outbreak resulting in 193 hospitalizations. No deaths have been reported.
Here are some details:
• Cyclospora, a parasite, causes cyclosporiasis, which can lead to diarrhea, nausea and other gastrointestinal symptoms.
• An investigation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has linked the outbreak, which has expanded to nine states, to iceberg lettuce sourced from privately held Taylor Farms operations in central Mexico, but authorities are still looking for other potential sources.
• U.S. consumers have cut back on lettuce purchases following the multistate outbreak, as concerns over food safety and uncertainty about affected products weigh on demand.
• As of July 28, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had recorded 6,707 laboratory-confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis since May 1, with more than 11,500 additional suspected cases still awaiting confirmation or further investigation.
• Data from healthcare analytics company Truveta showed the rate of cyclosporiasis diagnoses this July was more than 11 times higher than the average seen in July over the past eight years. More than one in five patients ended up in the emergency department within two weeks of diagnosis, while nearly one in eight were hospitalized.
• Cuts across federal health agencies have complicated the government’s ability to respond to foodborne disease outbreaks, former CDC officials and food safety experts said.
• CDC’s surveillance updates do not include probable cases. State data may include probable and confirmed cases, resulting in higher case counts than what CDC reports.
(Reporting by Sahil Pandey in Bengaluru; Edited by Tasim Zahid)
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