In late June, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed a multi-state outbreak of cyclosporiasis – a parasitic infection that results in excessive and prolonged diarrhea. On Tuesday, the CDC reported that outbreak has grown to more than ten thousand confirmed cases and another twelve thousand probable cases across the U.S. So far, two deaths have been reported in Michigan linked to the cyclosporiasis outbreak.
Today, the Florida Department of Health reported 340 cases recorded since the beginning of June – 88 in the last week. Twenty-five of those cyclosporiasis cases are in Orange County. Eleven cases are being reported in both Volusia and Seminole Counties, ten in Polk and eight in Osceola County.
Orlando Health infectious disease physician Daniel Egan discusses the symptoms, treatment and ways to avoid cyclosporiasis.
Many Americans are shifting their produce buying habits away from purchasing lettuce and other leafy greens – some restaurants are informing customers that they have removed lettuce from their menus until this outbreak passes. Produce recalls due to e coli or salmonella infections aren’t unusual – but the scale of this cyclospora outbreak has people asking how safe our food supply is?
Andrew Johnson, an associate lecturer of supply chain and operations management with UCF’s Miller College of Business, joins Engage to parse out the route lettuce takes from the ground to your plate.
