Michigan Health Officials Believe They Know What’s Behind Parasite Outbreak

It's hard not to be following what's going on with Michigan's cyclospora outbreak. The number of people who've gotten sick has now climbed past 3,000, but health officials say they're finally getting closer to figuring out what's behind it.

Have Health Officials Figured Out What's Causing the Parasite Outbreak?

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They're not ready to say they've found the source just yet, but according to WILX, they do say one thing keeps coming up: lettuce and salad greens. They still haven't narrowed it down to a specific brand, grower, or supplier, but that's where the investigation seems to be pointing right now.

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Because of that, MDHHS is recommending buying whole heads of lettuce instead of bagged salads or salad kits whenever possible. They also suggest peeling off the outer leaves, washing the remaining leaves thoroughly, and cooking greens when it makes sense since this parasite is tough to wash away completely.

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What Are the Symptoms of Cyclospora?

The good news is you can't catch cyclospora from someone else. It's a parasite that's usually picked up from contaminated food, and symptoms can show up anywhere from a couple of days to about two weeks after you eat it. When you think about it, that's an awful timeline. By the time you realize you're sick, you may not even remember what you ate.

The most common symptom is frequent watery/explosive diarrhea, but stomach cramps, bloating, nausea, loss of appetite, weight loss, and a low-grade fever are also common. I've also seen quite a few people on social media who say they've had it mention vomiting, even though it's considered less common.

Health officials are still trying to track down the exact source and say they'll continue posting updates as they learn more. Hopefully they're getting close to putting this whole thing to bed before the case count climbs even higher.