Cyclosporiasis Outbreak Tied to Lettuce Reaches 21 States as Cases Top 22,000
Updated
Updated · NBC News · Aug 5
Cyclosporiasis Outbreak Tied to Lettuce Reaches 21 States as Cases Top 22,000
3 articles · Updated · NBC News · Aug 5
Summary
Six more states — Arkansas, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire and North Carolina — were linked to the shredded iceberg lettuce outbreak, bringing the known total to 21 states.
More than 22,000 confirmed or suspected cases, 517 hospitalizations and 2 deaths have been tied to the outbreak since early May; Missouri alone reported 1,095 cases as of Sunday, nearly double last week.
Most illnesses have been traced to Taco Bell lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms and sourced from central Mexico, prompting a voluntary recall last month across restaurants and stores in 27 states.
FDA investigators have not identified another source, but former acting FDA commissioner Stephen Ostroff said the newly linked states may reflect delayed diagnoses rather than fresh spread because the parasite can incubate for up to two weeks.
The recalled lettuce should no longer be in circulation and its use-by dates ended Aug. 3; if exposures occurred after that, investigators may need to look beyond Taylor Farms.