'Explosive diarrhoea' outbreak remains a mystery as officials struggle to find sources
Summary
An outbreak of cyclospora, a parasite causing severe diarrhoea, has infected over 3,000 people in 31 US states, with Michigan most affected. Public health officials are struggling to find the source because the parasite is hard to detect, and recent budget cuts have reduced disease monitoring programs.Key Facts
- Cyclospora is a parasitic infection that spreads through contaminated food or water.
- Symptoms usually appear one to two weeks after eating contaminated food, causing frequent, watery diarrhoea.
- The outbreak has reached 31 states and infected more than 3,000 people, mostly in Michigan and New York.
- Tracking the parasite is difficult because it requires testing large amounts of food and the parasite takes time to cause illness.
- Federal budget and staff cuts have reduced the capacity of foodborne disease monitoring programs like FoodNet.
- FoodNet stopped monitoring cyclospora recently, limiting available data for tracing outbreaks.
- Officials advise washing produce carefully, avoiding certain fruits, and cooking vegetables to kill the parasite.
- The CDC continues to collect data through other surveillance systems and works with state health departments.
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