Mystery Diarrhoea Outbreak Spreads Across US

A "mysterious" outbreak of Cyclosporiasis, a parasitic infection causing "explosive diarrhoea," has now affected over 3,000 people across 31 US states. The primary symptom of this rarely fatal illness is frequent, watery diarrhoea. Experts have noted that tracing the parasite is notoriously difficult, a challenge potentially exacerbated by cuts to federal health agencies.

Steven Manderach of the Association of Food and Drug Officials described the tracing effort as like "detecting a microscopic portion of a needle in a haystack." The difficulty in tracking is partly due to the one to two-week incubation period before symptoms appear, making it harder to link to specific food sources compared to other foodborne illnesses. Additionally, testing food for the Cyclospora parasite is a complex process.

Michigan has been the hardest-hit state with over 2,600 cases, followed by New York. Health officials have advised the public to thoroughly wash produce, avoid certain fruits like raspberries, and cook vegetables to eliminate the pathogen. Further information about the Cyclosporiasis outbreak in the US is available.