Michigan reports 233 new cyclosporasis cases, 21 more hospitalizations

State and national health officials continue to track an outbreak of cyclosporiasis, an intestinal illness caused by a parasite that affected thousands of people in Southeast Michigan this summer.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said on Thursday there have been a total of 14,510 cases and 356 hospitalizations since the outbreak began in June. A week ago, those numbers were 14,277 cases;335 hospitalizations. There have been two deaths among these cases.

Tracking of an outbreak of the intestinal ailment began with a sudden spike in cases that got the attention of local and state health officials in late June. Normally, Michigan sees around 50 cases of cyclosporiasis per year.

Both state and federal officials say the iceberg lettuce believed to be related to the outbreak spike is off the market, and case reports are slowing down. But the CDC also said that it can take as long as six weeks from when someone eats contaminated produce to when they become ill to confirm if the patient's ailment can be linked to a specific outbreak.

After several weeks of giving daily updates on the case numbers, Michigan health officials are now issuing those reports once a week.

Cases across the country

The Michigan case number reports are different from the CDC's case number reports. 

The CDC says its surveillance updates do not include probable cases, only laboratory-confirmed cases. The CDC works with state officials to update the counts as additional information becomes available. 

Symptoms of cyclosporiasis 

Cyclospora cayetanensis is a parasite that causes the diarrheal illness cyclosporiasis. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the most common symptoms associated with the illness are frequent watery diarrhea, loss of appetite, bloating, nausea and fatigue. Some people may also experience body aches, headache or vomiting.   

Symptoms typically begin about a week after infection, and remain from about two days to two weeks or longer.  

"Without treatment, illness can last for weeks and may come and go," Wayne County health officials said. 

Tips to prevent cyclosporiasis

Health officials are encouraging residents to continue eating fresh produce while taking steps to reduce their risk of illness. 

Michigan health officials shared the following tips for avoiding the illness:

• Wash all fruits and vegetables thoroughly, under running water, before cutting, cooking or eating.
• Scrub firm fruits and vegetables, such as melons and cucumbers, with a produce brush when cleaning.
• Cut away any damaged or bruised areas of produce before preparing and eating.
• Refrigerate any cut, peeled or cooked produce within two hours of preparing it.
• Purchase lettuce or salad greens whole, remove the outer leaves and then wash the produce thoroughly before eating.