Michigan health officials think they know what's fueling a fast-growing intestinal illness—but they're not ready to name names, the New York Times reports. In a Monday update, the state's health department said early test results suggest lettuce or other salad greens could be driving a surge of infections caused by cyclospora, a parasite spread through food or water contaminated with feces. They stressed the source isn't confirmed, and no specific farm or supplier has been identified. Michigan has logged 2,640 cases and 44 hospitalizations so far this year, a 69% jump in cases since Friday and far beyond the state's usual 40 to 50 annual cases. "Early information has shown lettuce as a common product that regularly comes up during the investigation," a state health executive says, per ClickOn Detroit.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says at least 843 cases have been confirmed across 31 states, but experts say the real tally is likely higher; the Times has independently counted at least 4,800 cases nationwide, putting 2026 on pace to set a record. Past US outbreaks have been tied to bagged salads and other fresh produce. Michigan officials are advising people to skip pre-mixed salad kits for now, buy whole heads of lettuce, strip and toss the outer leaves, and wash inner leaves and other produce under running water. Cooking produce to 158 degrees kills the parasite. Symptoms include watery, sometimes explosive diarrhea, cramps, bloating, nausea, and fatigue; antibiotics can treat the infection.
As the Guardian reports, last year the Trump administration cut funding to state and local health departments as well as a program specifically focused on coordinating information about foodborne ailments. Tracking cyclospora is particularly difficult because the incubation period is two weeks, and by the time a case report is received and epidemiologists are able to interview affected people, they may not recall what or where they ate.
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