Michigan Reports First Deaths in Parasite Outbreak

Cyclosporiasis is caused by a tiny parasite that spreads when people eat food or drink water containing human waste. Symptoms usually start about a week after infection and include watery diarrhoea, stomach cramps, nausea and extreme tiredness. Without treatment, the illness can last for weeks. Investigators have linked one group of cases to shredded iceberg lettuce grown in central Mexico by Taylor Farms and sold to Taco Bell and other outlets. The company recalled the lettuce and closed the plant, although the Daily Mail reports that tests on the lettuce have returned a false positive. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is investigating six separate groups of cases, and Michigan officials say other foods cannot be ruled out.

Case numbers differ between authorities. Michigan has recorded 11,234 infections and 193 hospital admissions. The CDC, which counts only laboratory-confirmed cases, had recorded 6,707 by 28 July, with about 11,500 more suspected cases awaiting confirmation. Doctors have urged calm because deaths are rare. "There is really no reason for alarm," said Dr Joel Kammeyer of Wayne State University. Shoppers have reacted anyway: a poll by CBS News (a US broadcaster) found four in ten Americans are buying less fresh produce. Officials advise washing vegetables instead of avoiding them.