SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a warning after hundreds of people across 17 states became ill from a parasite called Cyclospora, which causes an intestinal infection known as cyclosporiasis.
Cases have been reported from Alaska to Louisiana, including in Massachusetts. In Michigan alone, health officials said cases grew to nearly 1,000 in just over two weeks.
What is Cyclospora?
Cyclosporiasis is typically spread through food or water contaminated with feces. No source for the current outbreak has been identified.
Dr. Esteban DelPilar, an infectious disease specialist at Baystate Health, said the outbreak is unusual given the number of people infected. “If you look at all the previous outbreaks, in most human cases, you can almost all of them track them back to some sort of produce – leafy greens, mixed salads,” he explained.
Symptoms and treatment
Unlike bacterial food poisoning, cyclosporiasis can last for weeks if left untreated with symptoms that come and go. Those symptoms include abdominal cramping, nausea, bloating, headache, loss of appetite, possible fever, and explosive diarrhea. Symptoms can take up to a week to appear after exposure…