Cyclosporiasis outbreaks in four Midwestern states are likely epidemiologically linked, part of an unusually large wave of cases in at least 34 states, CDC officials said.
While the agency still hasn't identified a specific culprit behind the likely foodborne illnesses, cases in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia are likely part of a single outbreak, said Gwen Biggerstaff, ScD, deputy director of CDC's Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases.
This year's case count "is a much higher number than we typically see in a cyclosporiasis season," Biggerstaff noted during a media briefing Tuesday. "It's a very big shift from what we've seen in previous seasons."
Michigan alone has reported 3,309 cases as of July 14, with 44 reported hospitalizations.
Since May 1, the CDC said it has received 1,645 confirmed reports of cyclosporiasis cases, with further analysis needed for 5,100 more cases before confirmation. The tally of confirmed cases is more than five times greater than the 249 cases reported by this time last year. The CDC expects to see case numbers rise as the season progresses, possibly through the end of August, Biggerstaff said.
