{"id":678963,"date":"2026-07-07T18:22:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T18:22:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/678963\/"},"modified":"2026-07-07T18:22:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T18:22:15","slug":"parasite-that-causes-explosive-diarrhea-continues-to-spread-across-the-us-these-states-are-being-hit-hardest-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/678963\/","title":{"rendered":"Parasite that causes \u2018explosive diarrhea\u2019 continues to spread across the US \u2013 these states are being hit hardest"},"content":{"rendered":"

A diarrhea-causing parasite<\/a> known as cyclospora that causes \u201cexplosive diarrhea\u201d is rapidly spreading across the nation – with Michigan<\/a> being hit the hardest.<\/p>\n

Exposure to the parasite by eating or drinking contaminated produce or water causes cyclosporiasis, an explosive stomach bug<\/a> that can leave people feeling ill for more than a month.<\/p>\n

Cyclosporiasis cases have nearly doubled in Michigan over the last week, the state\u2019s health department announced<\/a> over the weekend. There are now 572 cases, up from just 170 last Tuesday.<\/p>\n

The parasite is also infecting residents in Ohio, North Carolina, Wisconsin<\/a> Texas and a dozen other states, according to recent federal data<\/a>. Ohio has reportedly seen 177 cases<\/a> as of July 2 and there have been 110 in North Carolina, WRAL<\/a> says.<\/p>\n

“ODH and local health departments are working with neighboring state partners, including Michigan, and federal partners to investigate. This includes conducting interviews to help identify any potential common exposures. At this point, no source has been confirmed,” Ohio Health Department spokesman Ken Gordon said in a statement shared with The Columbus Dispatch<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A parasite that can lead to cases of explosive diarrhea is spreading nationwide. Michigan has been the hardest hit, new data shows (AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Past infections have been traced to bagged salad mixes, popular herbs, snow peas, green onions and raspberries, the Michigan Health Department notes.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, infections are not usually life-threatening \u2014 but they can last for over a month if untreated and lead to more severe illness in older people and those with weakened immune systems.<\/p>\n

That typically means a month of watery diarrhea, cramping, bloating, nausea, fatigue, weight loss, appetite loss and increased gas. Although other symptoms can include vomiting, body aches, diarrhea, headache, low-grade fever and other flu-like symptoms, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Symptoms may develop two days to two weeks after consuming infected food and water with the parasite Cyclospora. But some people may not experience symptoms at all, especially in tropical and subtropical regions.<\/p>\n

Some symptoms may go away and return without treatment or continue after others have stopped, too.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why it\u2019s important for patients to get their stool tested and be treated by a doctor using one of three antibiotic drugs known as sulfa drugs, including Bactrim, Septra and Cotrim. Resting and drinking plenty of fluids is also important.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat leads people to the emergency room is the complication of profound dehydration that comes as a result of this,\u201d ABC News\u2019 Dr. Darien Sutton told Good Morning America<\/a> on Monday.<\/p>\n

\"This<\/p>\n

This map from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows cases of cyclosporiasis in the U.S. as of May 1, 2026. \u2018Cyclosporiasis cases may not be limited to these states with known cases. The true number of people sick with cyclosporiasis was likely higher than the number reported,\u2019 the agency says. (CDC)<\/p>\n

There have been at least 20 hospitalizations in 2026 so far, the CDC data from July 1 shows. Although only 145 cases have been reported to the agency so far.<\/p>\n

Those who fell ill were between the ages of five and 86 years old, and the majority \u2013 61 percent \u2013 were female. No deaths have been reported.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese people became sick after eating food in the United States and did not report any travel during the 14 days before they got sick,\u201d the CDC explained.<\/p>\n

The agency said there is no evidence of a single, multi-state outbreak right now and that local, state and federal public health authorities are investigating \u201cseveral clusters of cases in more than one state.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cyclosporiasis has been tracked in the U.S. since 2019. People may be able to avoid falling ill by cleaning and cooking their food.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A diarrhea-causing parasite known as cyclospora that causes \u201cexplosive diarrhea\u201d is rapidly spreading across the nation – with…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":678964,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[226740,104745,59,102,30605,226739,8258,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-678963","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-cyclosporiasis","tag-diarrhea","tag-gb","tag-health","tag-health-department","tag-local-health-departments","tag-michigan","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/678963","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=678963"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/678963\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/678964"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=678963"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=678963"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=678963"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}