Overview
- Health officials have recorded thousands of illnesses this summer, with the CDC reporting 4,173 lab-confirmed cases and more than 7,400 suspected cases under review as investigators work through testing backlogs.
- Michigan’s state count is far higher than federal totals, with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services reporting 7,664 confirmed cases and 160 hospitalizations on July 23.
- The FDA has opened multiple simultaneous outbreak investigations, including a newly posted traceback for at least 72 cases, and is following supply-chain records and patient interviews rather than relying on genetic tests.
- Epidemiology has linked one large cluster to shredded iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms de Mexico, but the agency later called a positive lettuce sample a false positive and said no product has yielded a confirmed Cyclospora detection.
- Doctors say Cyclospora causes prolonged watery diarrhea that can lead to dehydration and hospital stays, it is treated with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, and officials advise buying whole heads of lettuce, discarding outer leaves, and cooking greens to 158°F when possible.