Michigan records 992 cyclosporiasis cases in outbreak

A major outbreak of the parasitic illness cyclosporiasis has surged to nearly 1,000 confirmed cases in Michigan, marking the largest such outbreak in the state's history and one of the largest in the United States in recent years. State health officials reported 992 cases as of Wednesday, July 8, a dramatic increase from an initial cluster of more than 170 cases announced on June 22. Approximately 40 people have been hospitalized in Michigan, though no deaths have been reported.

The outbreak is concentrated in eight counties in southeastern Michigan: Monroe, Lenawee, Washtenaw, Wayne, Shiawassee, Jackson, Oakland, and Livingston. It has also spread to neighboring Ohio, where more than 400 cases have been confirmed, including a cluster of 306 in Lucas County. Investigations into similar illnesses are ongoing in at least 28 other states, including Illinois, New York, Texas, North Carolina, and Indiana. National case counts tracked by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are already four times higher than at the same point last year.

Cyclosporiasis is caused by the microscopic parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis, which spreads through food or water contaminated with feces...