What is cyclosporiasis? Know the signs, prevention as Michigan health officials investigate outbreak<\/a><\/p>\nHealth officials said the following foods have been previously linked to Cyclospora outbreaks in the United States and Canada:<\/p>\n
Bagged salad mixes and kits\u00a0(pre-cut lettuce blends with romaine, iceberg, red cabbage, carrots)<\/p>\n
Fresh cilantro\u00a0(coriander leaves)<\/p>\n
Fresh basil<\/p>\n
Raspberries<\/p>\n
Snow peas<\/p>\n
Green onions\u00a0(scallions)<\/p>\n
Anyone who experiences symptoms of cyclosporiasis should see their healthcare provider.<\/p>\n
Produce recommendations<\/p>\n
MDHHS provided a list of recommendations on July 6 on preparing, processing or serving raw produce, including restaurants and other commercial kitchens.<\/p>\n
Health officials said to take the following steps to reduce risk of exposure:<\/p>\n
Lettuce\/leafy greens: Buy whole heads of lettuce\u00a0(rather than prewashed, bagged lettuce or salad mixes), throw away the outer 2\u20133 layers of leaves and wash the inner leaves under running water. For leafy greens that can be cooked, cooking is the safest option.<\/p>\n
Cilantro, basil: Wash thoroughly under running water, separating the leaves. Safest when cooked.<\/p>\n
Green onions:\u00a0Trim the root end and remove the outer layer, wash thoroughly under running water. Safest when cooked.<\/p>\n
Raspberries:\u00a0Their bumpy surface makes them especially hard to clean; the parasite can hide in the tiny crevices. Safest when cooked (pies, jams etc.). Consider frozen raspberries as an alternative (freezing may reduce but does not guarantee elimination of the parasite).<\/p>\n
Snow peas:\u00a0Wash under running water and rub the surface. Safest when cooked.<\/p>\n
MDHHS said the recommendations are essential for people who have a higher risk of dehydration or weakened immune systems, such as patients on chemotherapy, organ transplant recipients, infants and young children and elderly people. <\/p>\n
General rules, routine food practices<\/p>\n
Health officials said general rules of thumb to reduce the risk of getting the illness are to cook food — when you can — to 158 degrees or higher to kill cyclospora, and wash all fresh produce under clean running water, even if you plan to peel it.<\/p>\n
Food safety reminders<\/p>\n
Here are some reminders on food safety practices, according to the MDHHS:<\/p>\n
Wash hands with soap and water before and after handling or preparing food.<\/p>\n
Scrub firm fruits and vegetables, such as melons and cucumbers, with a clean produce brush.<\/p>\n
Cut away any damaged or bruised areas on fruits and vegetables before preparing and eating.<\/p>\n
Wash and sanitize\u00a0utensils and surfaces before and after handling food. Wash and sanitize display cases and refrigerators where fresh produce is stored.<\/p>\n
Wash and sanitize cutting boards, surfaces and utensils used to prepare, serve or store fresh produce.<\/p>\n
Refrigerate cut,\u00a0peeled\u00a0or cooked fruits and vegetables as soon as possible.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Copyright 2026 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As cases of a parasite outbreak continue to rise rapidly in Southeast Michigan, state health officials have issued…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":536021,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[103,397,396,61,60,22289],"class_list":["post-536020","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-healthcare","tag-health","tag-health-care","tag-healthcare","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-michigan"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/536020","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=536020"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/536020\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/536021"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=536020"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=536020"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=536020"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}