An estimated 18,000 people have become ill from cyclospora, the parasite that can cause “explosive diarrhea,” but the Food and Drug Administration assures Americans that the food supply is safe.
Typically, the country sees about 3,000 cases of cyclosporiasis, or the illness caused by the parasite, each year, the “Today” show reported.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on July 28 that it was in 45 states, the District of Columbia, and New York City. That number includes the nine states linked in a multi-state outbreak. The only states not reporting cases are Montana, Hawaii, New Mexico, South Carolina and Maine.
Most cases are in Michigan and Ohio, USA Today reported.
There have been 6,707 lab-confirmed cases with 423 hospitalizations, according to the CDC. As for the difference between the CDC’s number and the much larger number, the agency said there are 11,500 cases that have not been laboratory confirmed or need further investigation.
One potential source of the outbreak is shredded iceberg lettuce served by Taco Bell and supplied from Taylor Fresh Foods. The company has recalled all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico, “Today” reported.
Other possible sources include parsley and cilantro in North Carolina. Health experts said that there is likely more than one food or even water that could be adding to the outbreaks.
Past cyclospora outbreaks also involved basil, raspberries, green onions and snow peas, according to “Today.”
Food supply is safe: FDA
But despite the outbreak, the FDA has assured Americans that the food is safe to eat.
“The U.S. food supply is safe,” Donald Prater, the acting deputy commissioner for food at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, said this week, according to The New York Times. He was addressing the annual meeting of the International Association for Food Protection.
Prater, however, said, “There’s a couple of challenges,” referring to the cyclosporiasis outbreak.
“It will take a little time. But we do believe we’re taking action and we’re protecting public health,” he added, the newspaper reported.
He did note that cases keep climbing despite the lettuce recall.
“Once we’ve identified the contaminated product, we will, of course, work to initiate and effectuate recalls, removing the contaminated product on the market, alert consumers and conduct root-cause investigations,” he said. “We’re right in the middle of all of that.”