Recalled Lettuce Is off Shelves. Why Are Cyclospora Cases Still Rising?
An infectious disease expert told Newsweek why there can be a delay between exposure to Cyclospora and symptoms appearing.
The massive nationwide Cyclospora outbreak linked to recalled iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms de Mexico has been pulled from store shelves, but cases of infection continue to rise across the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 11,458 illnesses have been tied to the outbreak as of August 27, including 495 hospitalizations and two deaths in 20 states.
However, health officials believe that the majority of these new cases are linked to people consuming the contaminated lettuce before the recall, as symptoms can take several weeks to develop. While the FDA continues to investigate other potential sources of Cyclospora outbreaks, the risk for consumers is currently not higher than normal if they avoid consuming lettuce purchased in July or early August.
Brief written by urgent.news from Newsweek's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
