CDC: Cyclospora outbreaks ‘appears to be over’
The multistate cyclospora outbreak, which was first reported on in early July in Iowa, appears to be over, according to officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in a final update released Oct. 29.
The CDC notes, “Reported cases of cyclosporiasis in the United States have returned to baseline levels; therefore, it is likely that the outbreaks identified during June–August 2013 have ended.”
Cyclospora outbreak map
Image/CDC
The final outbreak numbers are as follows:
A total of 631 persons with cyclosporiasis were reported from 25 states and New York City: Arkansas (16), California (1), Connecticut (2), Florida (33), Georgia (5), Illinois (14), Iowa (140), Kansas (4), Louisiana (3), Massachusetts (3), Michigan (1), Minnesota (3), Missouri (5), Nebraska (87), New Hampshire (1), New Jersey (4), New York City (8), New York State (2), Ohio (3), Pennsylvania (1), South Dakota (1), Tennessee (1), Texas (270), Virginia (4), Wisconsin (18), and Wyoming (1).
Forty-nine people required hospitalization for their illness and no deaths were reported.
The CDC concludes that based on the findings in the investigations suggest that there was more than one outbreak of cyclosporiasis during June–August 2013 in the United States. Restaurant-associated illnesses in Iowa and Nebraska were linked to salad mix from Taylor Farms de Mexico in Guanajuato, Mexico. Some illnesses in Texas were linked to fresh cilantro from Puebla, Mexico.
The federal health agency states there is a history with cyclospora involving multiple outbreaks citing 1997 when there were three separate and unrelated outbreaks of cyclosporiasis caused by different fresh produce items from various sources.
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