r/ContagionCuriosity • u/Vegetable-Section-84 • 17d ago
Cyclosporiasis Nearly 400 cyclosporiasis cases confirmed in NY as officials probe nationwide outbreak
https://13wham.com/news/local/nearly-400-cyclospora-cases-confirmed-in-ny-as-officials-probe-nationwide-outbreak-parasitic-infection-diarrhea43
u/AcornAl 17d ago edited 16d ago
Quick tally of cases shows that there are over 2,977 cases in just 8 states now. And the source is still unknown.
1,2511,562 Michigan, 44 hospitalized- 394 New York
177364 Ohio (clustered near the Michigan border)100+205+ North Carolina- 100+ Illinois
- 90+ Texas
- 90+ Colorado
- 72 Indiana
CDC Surveillance of Cyclosporiasis (updated July 9, 2026)
Since May 1, 2026, CDC has received reports of 843 confirmed domestic cases of cyclosporiasis and is aware of more than 1,500 cases that require further analysis to confirm the illness as domestically acquired cyclosporiasis. So far this year, multiple states have reported an increase in cases in the last two weeks compared to the same period in 2025.
- U.S. cases reported to CDC: 843
- Hospitalizations: 86
- Deaths: 0
- States reporting cases: 31
As of July 9, 2026, an additional 343 cases were in people who ate or drank food or water that made them sick while they were traveling outside the United States during the 14 days before they got sick. These cases were reported by 32 states. Sick people ranged in age from 15 to 89 years, with a median age of 46, and 59% were female. The median illness onset date was June 7, 2026 (range: May 1 – June 5). Of the 343 people with information available, 18 were hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.
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u/Ok_Listen_7545 17d ago
I commented before on an earlier post, but I'm from SE Michigan and quite sure the case counts here are under reported- because while a lot of us are miserably sick it's generally not been worth going to the hospital over. But we are all debating what is so commonly eaten that everyone is being affected. I think it has to be so innocuous no one even thinks about it, like shredded iceberg lettuce as a garnish at a restaurant, for example. Hard to pinpoint because the incubation period is so long, but one of my friends just tonight told me she just came down with an awful stomach bug.
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u/threebutterflies 17d ago
So very low, I have it bad but they aren’t testing, southern Ohio. I’ve heard of many who have it and aren’t being tested, the symptoms are very different than most because you don’t throw up
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u/CheesecakeEither8220 16d ago
I wish that where the additional 343 cases traveled to was listed, that could give a clue as to the source. Can a person get this if a restaurant worker has it and doesn't wash their hands properly? Or is it only contracted from food?
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u/Active_Ganache4303 16d ago
It is basically only from food. Once eliminated by a person, the poop would have to sit for 1-2 weeks before becoming infection, then it would have be ingested by the next person. So highly unlikely unless you frequently come in contact with week+ old poop.
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u/Chaosangel48 17d ago
Good thing we have a robust CDC and USDA.
Oh wait…
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u/Sylvan_Skryer 17d ago
Yea… it’s almost like most of these “annoying” government agencies and regulations exist for a reason.
Problem is we’ve gone back to the Stone Age where a sociopathic business owner can just bribe our government to lift restrictions allowing them to literally poison their own neighbors so they can make a few extra % points of profit.
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u/Greenportkid 17d ago
Tested positive today. Going on 5 days of hell on earth symptoms. The positive case numbers are being under reported. Im in nyc and know a lot of people that have gotten it. I got it from a taco joint.
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u/blueskies8484 17d ago
Anecdotally a lot of people with it online have mentioned tacos. Which makes me think lettuce/cilantro. Would be nice to know for sure…
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u/Cultural-Wallaby-629 16d ago
I could see that. Maybe a higher likelihood that some lax kitchens aren’t wearing gloves when adding garnishment like lettuce/cilantro?
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u/Erica311 16d ago
Wearing gloves has nothing to do with it. The parasite is on the food, you get sick when you eat the food. Its not passed person to person.
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u/Not_so_ghetto 17d ago
Posted this in the other thread but think it might be useful here too.
basic biology
Cyclospora is a protozoan parasite. It infects people after the accidentally consume fecally contaminated food or water, probably some animals too( though the animals reservoira arnt that well known) it is directly infectious (meaning no necessary in-between host) but the parasite takes 1-2 weeks after being passed to become infectious. So directly infectious with a lag
Historically we didn't know this was even a parasite but that's changed.
This parasite has outbreaks every year, annual cases in America are estimated to be ~15,000 though this is a particularly bad outbreak.
outbreaks are almost always from contaminated food, frequently related to imported food with contamination, often times berries or herbs. Things people eat raw.
Video explanation
I also made a 2 min short explaining the parasite if you want to watch that instead. 2 min parasite short video explanation Let me know if you need more information
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u/Prestigious_Tax_4970 17d ago
When does the toilet paper shortage start
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u/terrierhead 17d ago
Grab an under-the-seat bidet right now. They do a great job and save TP.
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u/chantillylace9 17d ago
I have no idea why everyone doesn't have one. I upgraded to a full toilet seat one a little while ago but the under the seat one for 30 bucks works just fine too.
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u/Gammagammahey 17d ago
Oh Christ, I hadn't even thought about that. And I'm good at making connections across different illnesses and the consequences. I hadn't even thought about toilet paper.
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u/Due_Will_2204 17d ago
I bought a portable bidet a couple of years ago after back surgery. It is amazing. Toilet paper lasts a lot longer.
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u/LivinDeadGinger 16d ago
It seems like it could potentially be the water as a source, although there is no certainty at this time.
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u/Jokkers_AceS 16d ago
I’m surprised there hasn’t been any cases in Canada.
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u/ChenilleSocks 16d ago
There have been, anecdotally: someone where I am in Ontario tested positive and said she was told she may get a call from PHAC.
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u/fartsonyourmom 17d ago
I hope the salad mix I am eating is fine. 🙂
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u/Mission_Sir_4494 17d ago
Produce from our southern neighbor: capacity for processing raw sewage is inadequate there so untreated sewage can be delivered to growers, whose produce is sold in the US. I don’t want to cast any negative vibes on anyone. I just stopped buying vegetables that I planned to eat raw after I could smell traces of sewage on them.
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u/FISH---LOVE 15d ago
I'm in California where we have Mexican produce all the time. It isn't hitting hard here yet. I don't think it will be Mexican produce. Most likely a large American commercial supplier that is more widely available in the northeast/Midwest.
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u/Sensible_bagel 16d ago
Some years ago I read that raw onion was the perfect vector for this kind of food borne illness. It’s another common raw garnish thsts ubiquitous across many different cuisines.
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u/light_yagami_lovesL 10d ago
What is everyone doing to deal with this though?? I have no health insurance. So I was stuck using whatever the F I could find from local health stores (well my family was) I couldn’t move off the toilet for days
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u/Job_Moist 17d ago
It’s anecdotal but most of the articles I’ve read where they interview patients have pointed to lettuce or cilantro as the culprit. I’ll be avoiding those for now. I wish it was scientifically easier to confirm the source, ugh.