Columbus health officials are reporting cases of a parasite described as causing “explosive diarrhea.” The illness is called cyclosporiasis, and it’s caused by the microscopic Cyclospora parasite. All of this is part of a multistate outbreak the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating.
“For Franklin County and Columbus combined, we had eight confirmed and probable cases in June and two in May,” Kelli Newman, Director of Public Affairs & Communications for Columbus Public Health, told 614NOW. “We currently do not have any cases reported for July yet, but that is likely to change. Cyclosporiasis is not new and it is something we see every year. At this point, we are not seeing an increase in the number of cases we would expect for this time of year.”
There have been reports of cyclosporiasis in counties all over the state, but as of July 6, the majority appeared to be in the northwestern part of Ohio…