(Source: CDC)
By Alicia Sitz
(NewsNation) – The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is working to find the source of a parasitic illness that’s spreading across the country.
At least 145 cases of cyclosporiasis have been reported across 17 states. Twenty people have been hospitalized after suffering severe symptoms. Public health teams are investigating several clusters of cases reported in New York, Illinois and Texas.
New York has been the hardest hit, with 31 to 80 people sickened there since the outbreak began, according to Nexstar’s WPIX.
Other states linked to the outbreak include Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin, WPIX reported.
Cyclosporiasis is a type of food poisoning caused by a parasite, according to the CDC. People usually become infected from eating contaminated food or water.
While cyclosporiasis is not usually life-threatening, people can experience severe symptoms, including cramps, nausea, fatigue and vomiting. The most commonly reported symptom is “watery diarrhea with frequent, sometimes explosive, bowel movements,” per the CDC. If it’s not treated with antibiotics, cyclosporiasis can last anywhere from a few days to over a month. Symptoms can also go away and return multiple times.
Ages of people infected range from 5 to 86 years old, the CDC says, with an average age of 42.
The CDC says there’s a higher risk of infection when living in or traveling to tropical or subtropical regions, where the parasite is more common.
In this outbreak, only 45 people reported traveling outside the U.S. before becoming sick, leading health officials to believe the cause is foodborne, but the exact source is unknown.
