{"id":426594,"date":"2026-08-07T17:11:24","date_gmt":"2026-08-07T17:11:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/426594\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T17:11:24","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T17:11:24","slug":"cyclosporiasis-cases-in-california-are-way-up-but-officials-say-its-not-the-national-outbreak-whats-happening","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/426594\/","title":{"rendered":"Cyclosporiasis Cases in California Are Way Up \u2014 but Officials Say It\u2019s Not the National Outbreak. What\u2019s Happening?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Amid the national outbreaks <\/a>of cyclospora \u2014 a foodborne parasite that causes explosive diarrhea, has sickened tens of thousands of people nationally and led to two reported deaths<\/a> \u2014 California health officials have reassured residents: The state remains one of the few unaffected by the outbreak.<\/p>\n

But even as the California Department of Public Health confirmed that none of the iceberg lettuce being investigated as a source of the outbreak was distributed in the state, cases of cyclosporiasis in California have nonetheless jumped up in the last few months.<\/p>\n

After reporting only 41 cyclosporiasis cases from January to June this year, CDPH\u2019s most recent data <\/a>shows that 2026 number has now risen to 215 \u201cconfirmed and probable\u201d cases as of July 15, including 13 hospitalizations.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Beets being sold at the Santa Monica Farmers Market in Santa Monica on July 18, 2026. <\/p>\n

For context, based on their 2015-2025 figures, CDPH\u2019s annual average for cyclosporiasis cases is 106.\u00a0<\/p>\n

So if California\u2019s rise in cases isn\u2019t attributed to the national outbreak, what\u2019s going on \u2014 and how worried should you be about your personal salad-eating habits?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Keep reading to find out what we know.<\/p>\n

\nWhy officials believe cyclosporiasis cases among Californians are up\n<\/p>\n

Cyclosporiasis \u2014\u00a0 pronounced \u201csigh-clo-spore-EYE-uh-sis<\/a>,\u201d similarly to \u201cpsoriasis\u201d \u2014 is a gastrointestinal disease caused by the miniscule cyclospora parasite, which lives in the poop of infected people.<\/p>\n

Other people can then become infected also by ingesting food or drink that\u2019s contaminated with those feces \u2014 for example, fresh fruits or vegetables that have been washed with contaminated water.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not a new disease, and CDPH said that \u201cevery year, cases of cyclosporiasis are reported in California<\/a>.\u201d The disease is also considered seasonal in the United States: Case counts go up during the spring and summer months every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which frames May 1 through Aug. 31<\/a> as cyclosporiasis season in the U.S.<\/p>\n

\"\"An inspector examines lettuce at a plant in Salinas. <\/p>\n

However, since 2015, California\u2019s annual average caseload of just over 100 is far lower than the 201 cases reported since May 1 alone<\/a> this year.<\/p>\n

While the state\u2019s cyclospora dashboard says that \u201cthis is a normal seasonal pattern and mostly associated with travel to other countries,\u201d a statement from the agency emailed Wednesday to KQED acknowledged that despite the lack of any connection to the national outbreaks, \u201cour cases are now higher than what we might expect for this point in the season, based on historical data.\u201d<\/p>\n

The agency said it\u2019s \u201cstill investigating cases and the cause of the increase,\u201d but suggested it could be due to \u201ca number of reasons\u201d including:<\/p>\n

\nA possible increase in travel\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\u201cMost cases\u201d<\/a> of cyclospora in California tend to be linked to residents traveling to international destinations with cyclosporiasis outbreaks, said CDPH.<\/p>\n

But the agency also suspects that this year there have been \u201cincreased cases in travelers to areas with cyclosporiasis outbreaks, whether international or domestic.<\/p>\n

Of the 201 cases reported since May 1, CDPH said just 39 of them were \u201cdomestically acquired,\u201d and 15 of those people said they\u2019d traveled to other states\u00a0 \u2014 meaning that the majority of California cases were instead due to international travel.<\/p>\n

\"\"An Emirates Airlines A-380 plane prepares for takeoff at San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, California, on June 8, 2023. <\/p>\n

\u201cCalifornia is a relatively large population, a lot of people travel,\u201d said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease expert at UCSF.\u00a0<\/p>\n

So whether Californians picked up their cyclosporiasis cases from one of the outbreaks within the U.S. or abroad, \u201cit\u2019s all about where people are infected in terms of being worried versus the numbers, even if the numbers continue to go up,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Remember, cyclospora is a foodborne parasite and infected people usually don\u2019t transmit it to other people \u2014 because the parasitic cells pooped out by someone infected with cyclosporiasis need to be in the environment a good while (\u201cdays to weeks,\u201d according to CDPH) and then be activated by enough heat to actually become infectious themselves.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nHeightened awareness about cyclospora symptoms\n<\/p>\n

Increased awareness of cyclosporiasis amid these national outbreaks has \u201clikely led to increased testing for the illness,\u201d said CDPH, meaning \u201cwe may be identifying more cases than we have in previous years.\u201d<\/p>\n

In other words, someone with persistent diarrhea in 2025 might have written off their symptoms as a bad bout of food poisoning \u2014 but in summer 2026, surrounded by cyclospora headlines, they might be more likely to suspect it\u2019s cyclosporiasis instead.<\/p>\n

In his own practice, while Chin-Hong hasn\u2019t personally encountered a cyclospora diagnosis in the last few months, he nonetheless has \u201ca lot of people asking and wondering about it\u201d here in the Bay Area.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But \u201cclinicians are also more aware, even if the patient didn\u2019t bring it up,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

On the public health side, CDPH said the recent increase in California cases could be due to \u201coverall improvements to our surveillance and data collection methods over time,\u201d too.<\/p>\n

Chin-Hong also noted thatthe low January-June figures <\/a>provided by the agency didn\u2019t reflect the timeline of the U.S. outbreaks, which the Food and Drug Administration said began on June 22.<\/a><\/p>\n

\nAmid this rise in cases, how should I be thinking about cyclospora in California right now?\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI personally would still continue to eat fruits and vegetables,\u201d Chin-Hong said. \u201cThe benefits to me outweigh the potential disadvantages.\u201d<\/p>\n

But even if your head knows all the facts about the national outbreaks not affecting California, your gut might still feel a little weird about fully enjoying fresh produce \u2014 especially lettuce \u2014 right now.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nKnow how to prep and wash produce at home\n<\/p>\n

When it comes to food hygiene, \u201cI definitely think this is a great opportunity to reinforce basics,\u201d Chin-Hong said. \u201cWe focus on cyclospora because of what\u2019s happening nationally, but there are lots of other foodborne diseases, like E. coli and salmonella.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Cooking your produce to an internal temperature of at least 158 degrees will kill cyclospora. But cooking your fruits and vegetables this way might not always be realistic.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Kenny McDowell plants onion microgreens at Three Sisters Garden in West Sacramento on Feb. 12, 2026.<\/p>\n

And while washing produce isn\u2019t guaranteed to remove all traces of cyclospora<\/a>, when done thoroughly, it could help reduce your risk of infection.<\/p>\n

Dr. Erika Noel, an assistant professor at Hawaii\u2019s medical school and a pediatrician on the island of Kauai, shared the following tips<\/a> for washing produce with the Associated Press:<\/p>\n

When washing items like cilantro and basil, separate the leaves.For green onions, cut off the roots, remove the outer layer and run them under water while rubbing the surface.Research shows that washing fruits and vegetables in vinegar can be helpful. Vinegar won\u2019t kill the parasite but can help remove it. Noel recommends submerging produce in a bowl filled with three parts water and one part vinegar and swishing it around for a few minutes. Using a salad spinner to rinse with water can help get rid of the vinegary taste.Instead of purchasing pre-mixed salad and washing individual leaves, opt for a head of lettuce and remove the outer layer.For melons, scrub the outside before cutting through, as the knife can carry germs from the rind into the fruit inside.Peel fruits and vegetables as much as possible.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t forget to wash cutting boards and countertops. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers don\u2019t kill cyclospora, but soap and water are highly effective at killing or removing the parasite from hands.<\/p>\n

\nBuy local \u2014 and \u201cpeelable\u201d\n<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re anxious about inadvertently eating foods that might be linked to the current outbreaks in the Midwest, you might consider sourcing your produce from local California farms to be more secure in where your food has come from, Chin-Hong said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s easier to enforce safety standards locally and in farmers markets,\u201d he advised. And if you\u2019re eating out, don\u2019t be afraid to ask the restaurant where they source their produce, he said.<\/p>\n

Still worried? Chin-Hong said you could avoid higher-risk items that have traditionally been implicated in previous cyclosporiasis outbreaks, like leafy greens in bagged salad mixes, fresh herbs like cilantro and berries.<\/p>\n

\"\"Avocados, imported from Mexico, for sale at Casa Lucas Market on 24th St. in San Francisco on March 5, 2025. <\/p>\n

Instead, he said you could opt for \u201clower-risk choices\u201d like bananas, oranges, avocados, melon and mangoes, because these options have rinds or skin that are removed before eating.<\/p>\n

When cutting into thick-skinned produce like melon, be sure to wash not just its outside but also your knife and your hands, to make sure you\u2019re not accidentally pushing any contamination from the skin into the flesh.<\/p>\n

And as tough as the symptoms are, remember that effective antibiotic treatment for cyclosporiasis is available should the worst happen, he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Amid the national outbreaks of cyclospora \u2014 a foodborne parasite that causes explosive diarrhea, has sickened tens of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":426595,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[7,9,8],"class_list":["post-426594","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-california","tag-california","tag-california-headlines","tag-california-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/426594","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=426594"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/426594\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/426595"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=426594"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=426594"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=426594"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}