‘Explosive Diarrhea Parasite’ Cases On The Rise In Illinois

This probably wasn't an illness on your Bingo card.

It turns out we really need to pay attention to some of the stuff we eat, mainly if it's contaminated with something or not.

Cyclosporiasis cases are on the rise and one of the worst states affected is Illinois.

That huge word of an illness is caused by a parasite that's found in contaminated food and causes, as experts say, "explosive" and watery diarrhea.

Here's the latest map (as of July 1st) from the CDC:

CDC

So far this summer, from May 1st-June 16th, at least 170 cases of cyclosporiasis have been reported in the U.S.

New York has the highest number of cases, followed by Illinois and Texas.

The CDC says that those who have gotten sick from it ranged in age from 17-89 and 45 cases happened when the person drank or ate something while they weren't in the U.S. and got sick 2 weeks after they got back. But cyclosporiasis can happen everywhere.

This is gonna be a really gross fact but: the parasite behind it, Cyclospora cayetanensis, lives in human feces. Cyclosporiasis can happen with that contaminates food, like in the U.S., it can be linked to fresh fruits and veggies, like basil, cilantro, raspberries and snow peas. In 2022, an outbreak of it in Florida was linked to a Caesar salad kit.

Besides the "explosive" diarrhea, the other symptoms are appetite loss, cramps, nausea, vomiting, and a low-grade fever.

Don't panic: the CDC isn't saying it's tied to one thing. They said there's "no evidence of a single, multi-state cyclospora outbreak linking all cases".