Cyclospora cases rise in Kansas, following report of two deaths nationally

TOPEKA — Kansas cases of a gastrointestinal illness typically caused by an organism on produce rose to 615 as of Wednesday, up about 150 cases from last week, according to a state infectious disease dashboard.

Cyclosporiasis cases nationally rose to more than 6,300 and two deaths linked to the outbreak occurred in Michigan, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. The nation’s top health agency added six new states to those affected by the outbreak, bringing the total to 15.

“The true number of sick people in this multistate outbreak is likely higher than the number reported, and the outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses,” according to a U.S. Food and Drug Administration page that details the ongoing investigation. “This is because some people recover without medical care and are not tested for cyclospora. In addition, recent illnesses may not yet be reported because it can take as long as 6 weeks to determine if a sick person is part of a cyclospora outbreak.”

The infection is a caused by the cyclospora parasite and causes gastrointestinal upset that frequently includes watery diarrhea, fatigue and loss of appetite.

Lettuce products were determined by CDC and state health departments to account for at least some cases in the outbreak, and most of that product has been removed from shelves.

“We expect cases to increase as we continue to work through interviews to identify sources of the illness,” said Jill Bronaugh, spokeswoman for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. “The iceberg lettuce that was initially associated with some of the cases should no longer be available at restaurants or retail stores. Since the lettuce does not account for all of the cases, state and federal public health officials will continue to investigate other possible food sources attributing to the illnesses.”

The 15 states associated with the outbreak are Arkansas, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, according to the FDA.