Two Michigan Residents Die Amid Record Cyclospora Outbreak
Health officials said the deaths involved patients with serious underlying conditions, as the United States experiences its worst cyclospora year on record.
Michigan health officials reported on Monday that two individuals died after contracting cyclosporiasis, an intestinal infection caused by the parasite Cyclospora that spreads through contaminated food or water. Both decedents had significant underlying health conditions that may have been worsened by the infection and dehydration, according to the state health department’s update.
Cyclosporiasis typically produces severe diarrhea lasting from several days to over a month and is treated with antibiotics. While fatalities are rare in the United States, prolonged diarrhea can be life-threatening for vulnerable groups such as infants, older adults, pregnant people and those with weakened immune systems. > "Deaths from cyclosporiasis are uncommon in the United States," said Matthew Moore, a food-safety microbiologist at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
The deaths occur as the country records its highest annual incidence of the disease. Since May 1, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed or is investigating more than 18,000 cases across 45 states and has documented 423 hospitalizations. Michigan, at the center of a nine-state outbreak linked to iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms, has reported 11,234 infections and 193 hospitalizations. The state saw weekly case counts of about 3,500 during the weeks of July 13 and 20, dropping to just over 2,000 new cases last week. > "We have growing confidence that the outbreak is declining," said Laina Stebbins, a spokesperson for Michigan’s health department. Health experts caution that it remains too early to determine whether the national trend will follow a similar decline.