Lettuce-borne parasite outbreak spreads to nine states in the USA

The epidemic, caused by the parasite called Cyclospora, was previously seen in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia, but has now spread to Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania. The parasite, transmitted through contaminated food or water, causes severe diarrhea and serious digestive system disorders; In some cases, hospital treatment is required. Lettuce belonging to the giant producer Taylor Farms was identified as the source of the epidemic.

The company, which supplies products to many large chain markets and well-known restaurants, has voluntarily withdrawn all iceberg lettuce products it supplies from the central region of Mexico from the market. Health officials have recorded thousands of laboratory-confirmed cases since May; The number of cases reported since the beginning of the year has far exceeded the average of previous years, making it one of the largest parasite epidemics ever seen in the country. The fact that it takes weeks for symptoms to appear makes it difficult to track the source of the outbreak and control it.

Following the latest cases, the states of Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania were added to the regions where the epidemic was seen. The disease was previously detected in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia. Cyclospora, a microscopic parasite, is transmitted to humans through contaminated food or water, causing severe diarrhea and serious digestive system disorders.

In some cases, patients need to be treated in hospital. It was determined that the lettuce that caused the epidemic was linked to Taylor Farms, one of the giant producing companies. The company has decided to voluntarily withdraw from the market all iceberg lettuce products it supplies from the central region of Mexico. This step of the company, which supplies products to many large chain markets and well-known restaurants, was taken to prevent the spread.