It\u2019s also likely an undercount, said Charlie Hunt, director of the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment. For one thing, the illness itself can be hard to track since an official diagnosis requires a test from a doctor, which people with minor symptoms might not seek out.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe only know about the cases that get reported based on testing,\u201d he told the Post. \u201cIf people experience these symptoms, and they kind of come and go, and they\u2019re not severe, and they don\u2019t go to the doctor, then we won\u2019t know about them.\u201d<\/p>\n
The most common symptom associated with Cyclosporiasis is \u201cwatery diarrhea,\u201d and it can take a couple of weeks for symptoms to show up after exposure.<\/p>\n
Though this particular outbreak is much larger than usual, contaminated fresh fruits and vegetables like lettuce, bagged salad kits, leafy herbs and berries have caused past outbreaks in the U.S.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t swear off fruits and veggies wholesale<\/p>\n
Though contaminated fresh produce does tend to be the cause of these outbreaks, Hunt said people shouldn\u2019t just stop eating them.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want to make a blanket recommendation for people to stop eating fresh produce, fruits and vegetables, and so forth,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
But he did say it\u2019s important to apply \u201ccommon sense recommendations\u201d and potentially avoid some types of produce.<\/p>\n
In particular, products like pre-cut greens or raspberries and other fruits with bumpy surfaces have previously been the culprit in Cyclospora outbreaks.<\/p>\n
Hunt urged people to avoid those specific products by opting for whole heads of lettuce instead and peeling off the outer layer before washing it thoroughly. He also said it could be a good idea to select produce with smooth rinds that can be cleaned and peeled, such as melons and bananas.<\/p>\n
Cooking your produce is also an option. While that isn\u2019t always sensible advice for fruits and veggies like raspberries and lettuce, which people usually don\u2019t consume cooked, Hunt said heat \u201cwill take care of\u201d the parasite.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can understand why people are concerned, and my hope is that a source will be identified soon, so we can give more specific information to people,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
What should I do if I think I have Cyclosporiasis? The most common symptom of Cyclosporiasis is what Hunt referred to as \u201cintense watery diarrhea,\u201d which can take a couple of weeks to emerge after someone is infected. It can also last for a few days or potentially a few weeks.<\/p>\n \u201cMost people will recover from this without treatment,\u201d Hunt said, though medications are available.<\/p>\n The real concern is for individuals who might be immunocompromised, as well as young children and older adults, who might have a greater risk of developing dehydration during prolonged gastrointestinal illnesses.<\/p>\n Dr. Mary Devers, the medical director of HCA Midwest\u2019s CareNow urgent cares, said in an emailed statement that people experiencing \u201cdiarrhea that lasts more than three days should seek medical care promptly.\u201d She encouraged these patients to inquire about Cyclospora specifically.<\/p>\n She said HCA Midwest has treated and tested more than 120 people with suspected Cyclospora infections across the Kansas City area since early July. However, some tests are still pending, so it\u2019s hard to say for sure just how many cases the health care system has encountered.<\/p>\n This outbreak of the Cyclospora parasite is larger than normal<\/p>\n Hunt said seeing cases of Cyclosporiasis around this time of year isn\u2019t completely abnormal, since cases tend to increase in the summer months. In a normal year, Johnson County might see 15 to 20 cases annually.<\/p>\n However, with 25 cases confirmed in Johnson County as of the state health department\u2019s most recent report on Wednesday, this outbreak is shaping up to be abnormally large, Hunt said.<\/p>\n And, without a certain source for the outbreak<\/a> and the length of time it can take to develop symptoms, cases are likely to continue to emerge.<\/p>\n In the past, Hunt said, it hasn\u2019t typically taken this long to identify the food source contaminated with the parasite that\u2019s causing the outbreak.<\/p>\n However, this specific outbreak, which has spread to multiple states and seems to be particularly concentrated in Michigan<\/a>, is more complex than normal given its size.<\/p>\n Additionally, outbreaks from parasites like Cyclospora can be harder to keep track of than bacterial outbreaks for a myriad of reasons.<\/p>\n
\n![\"Johnson](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/charlie_hunt_headshot.jpg\")
<\/a>Charlie Hunt, JCDHE director. Photo courtesy Johnson County.<\/p>\n