The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta announced Friday that the cyclospora outbreak has officially spread to four new states. File Photo by Erik S. Lesser/EPA
The cyclosporiasis outbreak has expanded to four new states, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.
The disease outbreak has been traced to shredded iceberg lettuce grown in central Mexico.
The new states are Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania. They are added to the original five states: Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia, which are included in the largest-known cyclosporiasis outbreak.
The people sickened in the new states may have gotten ill around the same time as those in the other states, but it took more time for investigators to connect the illnesses to the same outbreak, The Washington Post reported.
The CDC said 1,947 people infected with the parasite and reporting exposure to Taco Bell have been reported in those states, but there have been 4,000 total cases. States have reported higher numbers, including 7,664 cases in Michigan. There have been 98 hospitalizations and no deaths. The infections have been reported in 41 states, but only the nine listed have been confirmed to be connected.
Taylor Farms de Mexico said it completed a voluntary recall in the U.S. market of iceberg lettuce sourced and processed from central Mexico.
Cyclospora is a microscopic parasite that infects people through contaminated food or water. The lettuce was linked to produce giant Taylor Farms. The company is a top supplier of produce to retailers including Walmart, Target and Whole Foods, and restaurant chains.
A new, separate outbreak is also under investigation by the Food and Drug Administration.
This week in Washington
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a press briefing in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on Thursday. Photo by Samuel Corum/UPI | License Photo
