(ALBANY, NY) — The state’s disease detectives are trying to get the source of a nasty bug, with symptoms including explosive diarrhea, that has sickeded hundreds in New York and across the country. The state health department said 394 people have contracted cyclosporiasis since May.
“It’s a microscopic parasite we cannot see with the naked eye, and it makes us sick,” said Dr. James McDonald, state health commissioner. McDonald said cases are on the rise in New York.
McDonald said the parasite can lead to explosive, water diarrhea that could last for weeks.
“The biggest problem people run into when they get something like this is dehydration,” McDonald said. “If you get something like this, you have to drink plenty of fluids and food that’s gentle on your stomach.”
New York had been leading the nation in cases, but now cases are spiking in other states including Michigan, with nearly 1000 cases there.
If you do contract the illness, McDonald said it may go away on its own, or it may need to be treated with antibiotics. At least 20 have been hospitalized in the US. It’s unclear where the paradise is coming from.
“We don’t know yet, that’s part of the mystery,” McDonald said.
Fruits and vegetables are suspected. McDonald said a thorough washing will help prevent cyclosporiasis. Health investigators are looking to a source and need help from the public.
“If your local health department calls you, there’s some things that need to do,” he said. “One, I need you to answer the phone.”
McDonald said there is a reluctance among the public to give out information to investigators.
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“One of the things we’re dealing with from even after the pandemic is people don’t talk to us,” he said.