Federal health officials have announced the end of the largest recorded multi-state outbreak of sickness caused by the cyclospora parasite in the United States. The outbreak was linked to processed and shredded iceberg lettuce from supplier Taylor Farms in central Mexico.
The outbreak resulted in 12,883 reported cases of the gastrointestinal food-borne illness across 21 states. These infections led to 570 hospitalizations and two deaths. The scale of the contamination prompted one of the largest food recalls in recent years.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration stated that all recalled iceberg lettuce related to this specific outbreak has been removed from the market. Officials expressed confidence that there is no longer a risk of people getting sick from this particular source.
While this surge was dominated by the 21-state outbreak linked to Taylor Farms, health officials noted that thousands of other cyclosporiasis cases have occurred that were not linked to this specific outbreak.