CDC declares cyclospora outbreak over

After nearly 13,000 cases and more than 500 hospitalizations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said there is no longer any risk of contracting cyclosporiasis from the source linked to the outbreak.

David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images

“At this time, there is no risk of people getting sick with cyclosporiasis from this source,” CDC wrote in the agency’s final update on the outbreak.

Since cases began picking up in June, 21 states reported cyclosporiasis cases and two people with underlying health conditions died in Michigan.

The lettuce, supplied by Taylor Farms in Mexico, is no longer available in stores or restaurants.

The CDC is still investigating several case clusters of the parasitic illness nationwide. Including the multistate outbreak, CDC has received reports of 19,595 laboratory-confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis acquired in the United States.

The FDA said it is continuing its investigation into the outbreak, including how the product became contaminated with cyclospora. Last month, the agency sent inspectors to the Taylor Farms processing center and lettuce farms in northeastern Mexico.

Critics of the Trump administration cited the cyclosporiasis as another public health failure by the current Trump administration due to the CDC having scaled back its foodborne illness surveillance program last year, making monitoring for cyclospora voluntary instead of mandatory.

Others noted, however, that the 10 states that were no longer required to report on cyclospora were not places the parasite hit hardest.

In a letter to industry leaders, FDA’s acting deputy commissioner for food, Donald Prater, urged companies to invest more in cyclospora prevention and to follow food safety regulations.

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