Cyclospora outbreak expands to nine US states, health officials say

Cyclospora outbreak expands to nine US states, health officials sayTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.This video can not be playedFigure caption, US shoppers react to mysterious ‘explosive diarrhoea’ parasiteByBrandon DrenonPublished13 minutes agoCyclospora linked to iceberg lettuce has spread to nine US states, part of the largest reported outbreak in US history, health officials said on Friday. Cases tied to the lettuce from central Mexico now have been reported in Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia had also reported cases linked to the lettuce. The cyclospora parasite causes cyclosporiasis and leads to explosive diarrhoea. There are multiple outbreaks in the US, likely from different sources. Since mid-May, the number of cases tracked by the CDC has increased to more than 11,000 across 41 states. Michigan has been the hardest hit state, with health officials there saying on Friday that the number infected has increased to more than 8,100. Residents stricken by the parasite told the BBC it was "the most painful thing I've ever been through in my life". In its update on Friday, the CDC warned people not to eat recalled iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms that sourced from central Mexico.Taylor Farms, a major US food supplier, voluntarily recalled all of its iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico on 17 July. The company said it did so "out of an abundance of caution". Investigators from the Food and Drug Administration announced over the weekend that iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms had tested positive for cyclospora but later retracted that statement saying it was a false positive. Health experts that spoke to the BBC said it is often difficult to track the origins of cyclospora, the parasite that when consumed causes the intestinal illness cyclosporiasis.Part of the challenge, exp...