Health officials for Michigan and Ohio dey warn as cases of cyclosporiasis, one parasitic infection wey cause explosive watery diarrhea, don increase sharply. As of July 6, Michigan get 678 confirmed cases, mostly for southeast area including Wayne County where Detroit dey. Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, chief medical executive for Michigan, say the number na ‘moving target’ wey go likely still rise because of lag time between exposure and symptoms.
For Ohio, 177 cases don appear across 43 counties, with 171 since June 20. New York City report 301 cases total for 2026, with 273 since May 1. New York State get 120 cases since May 1. North Carolina get 145 cases between May 1 and July 7, and Illinois get 141 cases, 59 of them locally acquired.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report 145 cases for 17 states since May 1, with 20 hospitalizations. No deaths don happen. Cases range from age 5 to 86, median age 42, and 61% na female. No link don connect states, and officials dey investigate if common source dey for Michigan outbreak.
The parasite, Cyclospora cayetanensis, dey spread through food or water wey contaminated with feces. Past outbreaks don link to imported fresh produce like raspberries, basil, snow peas, mesclun lettuce, and cilantro. Dr. Bagdasarian say MDHHS working hypothesis na contaminated produce, but no specific type or source don identify.
Symptoms include explosive watery diarrhea, cramping, bloating, low-grade fever, nausea, and vomiting. Symptoms fit last days or weeks, unlike stomach bug wey clear for 24-48 hours. Dr. Bagdasarian advise anyone wey suspect infection to see provider and mention cyclosporiasis, plus ask for stool test because no all routine test include am.
CDC say infection no dey spread person-to-person because parasite need one to two weeks outside body to become infectious. Treatment na oral antibiotic trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX), sold as Bactrim, Septra, Cotrim, for 10 days. Prevention include thorough washing of produce, cutting away bruised parts, refrigerating pre-cut items, and handwashing with soap and water, as alcohol-based sanitizer no dey kill this parasite.
