Cyclospora outbreak eclipses 600 cases, Texas accounting for 4 out of 10
As of August 22, 2013, a total of 609 ill persons with Cyclospora infection have been reported from 22 states, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) numbers.
This number from the CDC doesn’t account for additional cases reported from Texas not included in the data. The CDC is reporting 257 cases in the Lone Star State; however, The Texas Department of State Health Services has reported 278 cases on their website.
Texas accounts for some 44% of cases nationally.
According to federal health officials, ill persons range in age from less than one year to 92 years, with a median age of 51 years. 56 percent of ill persons are female. Among 471 ill persons for whom information is available, 40 (9%) have reported being hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.
People become infected with Cyclospora by ingesting sporulated oocysts, which are the infective form of the parasite. This most commonly occurs when food or water contaminated with feces is consumed, according to the CDC.
Cyclosporiasis occurs in many countries, but it seems to be most common in tropical and subtropical regions.
In the United States, foodborne outbreaks of cyclosporiasis since the mid-1990s have been linked to various types of imported fresh produce, including raspberries, basil, snow peas, and mesclun lettuce; no commercially frozen or canned produce has been implicated.
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[…] According to a recent update from the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), the number of cases of the parasitic infection has climbed to 304, an increase of 26 cases in a week. […]
[…] Cyclospora outbreak eclipses 600 cases, Texas accounting for 4 out of 10 The Global Dispatch As of August 22, 2013, a total of 609 ill persons with Cyclospora infection have been reported from 22 states, according to Centers for Disease Control and… […]