2026 Problems
A foodborne illness that stems from fecal matter on produce is adding a new, gross layer to an already rough season in Trump's America
It’s hotter than a two-dollar pistol outside, the air is smokier than a cigar lounge, and you can’t take a bite of a raw vegetable without running the risk of shitting yourself uncontrollably.
Since May, at least 34 states have reported cases of cyclosporiasis, an infection that causes severe diarrhea, cramps, and flu-like symptoms. The outbreak, which began in Michigan, has been most severe in the midwest, within southeast Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia. Concentrations of cases have also been reported in New York and Texas.
The illness is transmitted primarily through a microscopic parasite called cyclospora, which is is spread via fecal waste on food — often the result of contaminated water being used in crop irrigation — and grows quickly during hot summer months. Its incubation period can last up to six weeks, meaning it could take a good month and a half to even find out you have it. Amid a struggling economy, foreign wars, back-to-back heat waves, ticks that make you allergic to meat, livestock that is full of worms, and AI data centers raising your power bill, the last thing Americans needed was a contagious parasite that gives you explosive diarrhea.
