The US’s largest recorded multi-state outbreak of sickness caused by the cyclospora parasite has ended, federal health officials announced on Friday. The record outbreak of cyclosporiasis was linked to processed iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms in central Mexico, which infected 12,883 people across 21 states and led to 570 hospitalizations and two deaths.
“At this time, there is no risk of people getting sick with cyclosporiasis from this source. The best-by dates for all product linked to this outbreak have passed and it is no longer available in stores or restaurants,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Friday.
The federal agency added that it had seen a significant decrease in recent infections linked to this flare-up. Before the recall of the relevant packaged lettuces, there were more than 1,000 infections that occurred in a single day at the peak of the outbreak. In August, there were fewer than two infections a day on average.
Between 1 May and 8 September, the CDC reported a total of 19,595 laboratory-confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis across the US, including 12,883 infections linked to contaminated lettuce. Cases were reported across 49 states and Washington DC. The median age of those infected was 46, with women accounting for 56% of cases and men accounting for 44%.