Michigan officials announced the first fatalities in the massive Cyclospora outbreak that has sickened at least 11,234 people in the state this summer.
“According to medical records, both individuals had significant underlying health conditions that may have been impacted by cyclosporiasis and dehydration. No additional information will be provided on these two cases,” the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services said.
Cyclosporiasis is generally not a life-threatening illness
“Cyclosporiasis is generally not a life-threatening illness,” it added. “Death resulting from cyclosporiasis is uncommon in the United States.”
As of last week, 193 reported cases in the Michigan outbreak had been hospitalized for their infections.
Michigan has more than half of nation’s cases
Across the nation, a suspected 20,000 cases of cyclosporiasis, the intestinal illness caused by the Cyclospora parasite, have been documented, with patients reporting severe and lengthy bouts of diarrhea. The infection can be treated with antibiotics, but managing dehydration is important.
Michigan has been the epicenter of a nine-state outbreak linked to tainted lettuce from Taylor Farms. On July 17, Taylor Farms initiated a recall of all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico and distributed to 27 states.
Last week, 2,000 new cases were reported in that state, down from 3,500 the previous week, which may show the outbreak is on the decline.
But 45 states have reported Cyclospora cases since May 1, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and there are likely at least two concurrent outbreaks from multiple sources.
55% in US have low confidence in government for food safety
According to a new poll from Quinnipiac University, the outbreaks have shaken the confidence Americans have in the government to prevent foodborne-illness outbreaks. Among those polled last week, 30% said they had no confidence in the government’s oversight of food safety, and 25% said they had “not so much” confidence.
Only 12% of those polled said they had a lot of confidence in the government’s ability to prevent and track foodborne illness outbreaks.
Quinnipiac had not previously asked this polling question, so there is no gauging just how much damage the Cyclospora outbreak has done to Americans’ ability to trust the government for food safety.
The poll included 963 self-identified registered voters, with a margin of error of +/- 4.1 percentage points.
