6 things Michiganders are getting wrong about the cyclosporiasis outbreak<\/a><\/p>\nPrecautions with lettuce, salad greens <\/p>\n
MDHHS said, based on early information in the outbreak investigation and the historical link to Cyclospora and pre-packaged salad greens, they recommend people practice the following safety measures with lettuce:<\/p>\n
Purchase\u00a0whole\u00a0heads:\u00a0Buy\u00a0whole heads of lettuce\u00a0rather than pre-washed, bagged lettuce or pre-mixed salad kits.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Discard\u00a0outer\u00a0layers:\u00a0Before preparation,\u00a0throw away the outer\u00a0two to three\u00a0layers\u00a0of leaves.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Wash\u00a0inner\u00a0leaves:\u00a0Thoroughly wash the remaining inner leaves under clean running water.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Prioritize\u00a0cooking:\u00a0For\u00a0any\u00a0greens that can be\u00a0cooked,\u00a0cooking to\u00a0a temperature of\u00a0at least 158\u00a0F (70\u00a0C)\u00a0is the safest\u00a0option, as the parasite is resistant to routine chemical disinfection and washing alone cannot guarantee its removal.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Produce linked to previous outbreaks<\/p>\n
Health 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
Produce recommendations<\/p>\n
MDHHS provided a list of recommendations 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
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":"Cyclosporiasis cases in Michigan rose slightly, state health officials reported on Wednesday, with more than 3,700 cases reported.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":542943,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[241382,163,521,85,46,20011],"class_list":["post-542942","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-healthcare","tag-cyclosporiasis","tag-health","tag-healthcare","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-michigan"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/542942","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=542942"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/542942\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/542943"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=542942"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=542942"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=542942"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}