The best-if-used-by dates of recalled iceberg lettuce associated with the massive Cyclospora outbreak have passed, according to an update from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) yesterday. This means that Cyclospora-tainted Taylor Farms lettuce should no longer be available at stores and restaurants. 

“The outbreak includes people who reported exposure to processed iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms de Mexico served or purchased at various locations, including people who previously reported eating at Taco Bell,” the FDA update said. “Most of these illnesses began before the Taylor Farms de Mexico iceberg lettuce recall on July 17, 2026.”

More than 3,100 new lettuce-linked cases

Yesterday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its numbers of Cyclospora infections linked to Taylor Farms iceberg lettuce. The agency added 3,123 cases, for a total of 9,481 total cases, and hospitalizations rose by 120 cases, to 398. Deaths remained at two, and the number of states affected increased by two, going from 15 to 17. 

While the CDC’s numbers have spiked, that could be attributed to a lag in reporting rather than skyrocketing cases. Officials in Michigan, the hardest-hit state of the outbreak, told CIDRAP News last week that most of the recent Cyclospora cases added to their tallies are of people who experienced symptoms before July 16. 

Most of these illnesses began before the Taylor Farms de Mexico iceberg lettuce recall on July 17, 2026.

Politicians have been seeking answers about the outbreak with Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, being the latest to send a letter about it. The Hill reports that she asked Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. if lobbying and donations from Taylor Farms led to the “botched response” and poor communication about this summer’s massive Cyclospora outbreak. 

Among all US Cyclospora outbreaks, CDC-confirmed cases are nearing 14,000, though counts of each affected state’s total bring the number above 28,000.

Lyme disease is expanding into southern Appalachia, and a town in the Blue Ridge Mountains appears to be on the edge of this growing territory.

In an analysis yesterday in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 39.6% of the blacklegged (deer) ticks collected from residential properties in Biltmore Forest, North Carolina, tested positive for the bacterium—Borrelia burgdorferi—that causes Lyme disease. If left untreated, an infection can result in facial paralysis, irregular heartbeat, arthritis, and other long-term neurologic complications.

Lyme has historically been considered endemic in the Northeast and Upper Midwest. Researchers note that tick surveys in nearby South Carolina counties found a low prevalence of Lyme, which suggests that Biltmore Forest "represents the leading edge of southward expansion."

In fact, 17 Biltmore Forest residents said they've been diagnosed with the disease. They also reported cases of babesiosis and one case of ehrlichiosis, though the researchers, from both South and North Carolina, didn't find ticks carrying the bacteria that cause these diseases. 

However, the researchers identified Borrelia miyamotoi in two adult ticks and two collections of pooled DNA from larval ticks. This bacterium causes hard tick relapsing fever; the most common symptom is a high temperature, though some patients experience chills or shakes, fatigue, joint pain, headache, and nausea.

Wear DEET, check your armpits

The findings show a need for public education about tick-bite prevention in this part of Appalachia, along with expanded surveillance to improve early diagnosis, said the researchers. They noted that many medical providers in the area lack experience diagnosing and managing tick-borne diseases. 

To avoid these illnesses, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises people to avoid areas where ticks are found and to apply DEET-containing insect repellent. After coming indoors, people should check their bodies for ticks, including less visible areas like under the arms, back of the knees, and hair.