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Cyclosporiasis Outbreak Hits 18 US States
Developing
In Short: An outbreak of cyclosporiasis, caused by the parasite cyclospora cayetanensis, has affected 18 US states, with Michigan and Ohio reporting the highest number of cases.
A cyclosporiasis outbreak, caused by the parasite cyclospora cayetanensis, has affected 18 US states, with Michigan and Ohio reporting the highest number of cases. By late July, 45 US states had reported cases, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
In Michigan, one of the worst-hit states, two deaths were reported on 3 August. The CDC confirmed 992 cases in Michigan, while Ohio reported 177 cases. Other states like Illinois, New York, and North Carolina have also reported hundreds of cases each.
The CDC has confirmed 6,707 cases across the US from 1 May to 27 July, with over 11,500 additional cases that were not laboratory confirmed or required further investigation. Experts believe the actual number of infected individuals is likely higher because some recover without medical care.
Cyclosporiasis is an intestinal illness caused by a microscopic parasite. The CDC states that the 6,707 people known to have been infected before 27 July had become ill after eating food in the United States.
Background
Michigan is a peninsular state in the Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, Indiana and Illinois to the southwest, Ohio to the southeast, and the Canadian province of Ontario to the east, northeast and north.
Ohio is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Canadian province of Ontario to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the west, and Michigan to the northwest.
What's confirmed
What's still developing
- Forty-five US states had reported cases by late July, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with Michigan among the hardest-hit.
- A total number of 6,707 cyclosporiasis cases were confirmed across the US from 1 May to 27 July, according to the CDC.
- The CDC said it was aware of more than 11,500 additional cases that were not laboratory confirmed or required further investigation and analysis.
- In Michigan, one of the worst-hit states, two deaths were reported on 3 August.
- The two individuals had "significant underlying health conditions that may have been impacted by cyclosporiasis and dehydration", state health authorities said.
- As well as Michigan, the CDC has cited Ohio as being among the hardest-hit states.
- Authorities Illinois, New York and North Carolina have likewise reported hundreds of cases each.
- Experts say the number of people sick with cyclosporiasis is likely higher than the numbers that have been reported because some people recover without medical care and are not tested for the illness.