Cyclospora Infections on the Rise this Summer in the US (Various Sources)

Articles:

http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/news/20170809/cdc-warns-of-uptick-in-cyclospora-infections

http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/07/health/cyclospora-infections-rise-2017/index.html

Key Points:

- Cyclospora cayetanensis: a parasite that commonly causes diarrhea. Also causes fatigue, weight loss, loss of appetite, nausea, bloating, more gas, and cramping. Symptoms tend to occur 7 days of ingestion of contaminated material and may last from days to months if left untreated.

- Commonly transmitted through imported produce or water contaminated by feces. Rise in infection rate in 27 states although it is unknown whether these incidences are all related. There have been 206 cases this year from May through July vs 88 cases last year in the same timeframe.

- Previous outbreaks have been associated with imported basil, cilantro, lettuce, raspberries and snow peas.