Missouri now among 15 states linked to nationwide iceberg lettuce cyclospora outbreak; ranked third-highest in country
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Cases of cyclosporiasis continue to climb in Missouri, with health officials confirming Wednesday that the Show-Me state is among 15 affected states included in the nationwide outbreak linked to lettuce from central Mexico.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Missouri has reported the third-highest number of illnesses in the country, with 568 cases. The CDC said that figure includes people who were exposed through recalled Taylor Farms de Mexico lettuce or at Taco Bell locations, as well as people who traveled to Missouri before becoming ill.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services has reported 1,095 confirmed cases statewide as Sunday, an increase of nearly double the previous week's total. In Boone County alone, Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services says 96 cases have been reported as of Wednesday.
Columbia resident Chris Sonksen was one of those reported cases.
Sonksen told ABC 17 News that he purchased romaine lettuce from the Walmart on West Broadway about three weeks ago. A few days later, he began experiencing symptoms.
“I started getting symptoms about two days after I ate romaine lettuce and I didn't have the explosive diarrhea like everybody was talking about. My symptoms were very mild, but I did have diarrhea for about three weeks,” Sonksen said. “Then finally I went to the doctor and they did a stool sample and they did confirm today that it was cyclosporiasis.”
While Sonksen's illness was relatively mild, he said the symptoms persisted long enough that he eventually sought medical treatment.
“I did hear where people got hospitalized, for up to 10 days for it. I did not have that. I just had the diarrhea part of it and really didn't have a whole lot of other symptoms. The reason why I went to the doctor the other day was because it was just lingering. It comes in waves. It'll quit for a couple of days and then it comes back again and then it quit and, I knew I needed to get some antibiotics for it,” Sonksen said.
The experience has also changed the way he shops for produce. Before contracting cyclosporiasis, Sonksen said he was trying to avoid iceberg lettuce. Now he says he is leery of buying lettuce altogether.
“It does kind of make me hesitant to buy I know it has the last few weeks for sure. Even going forward, I'm still a little hesitant about it. Especially since this happened to me," he said. "They keep reporting that it was only the iceberg lettuce and I had the romaine and got it.”
The outbreak has also turned deadly nationally. Michigan health officials announced Monday that two people died after contracting cyclosporiasis, marking the first deaths associated with this year's outbreak. According to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, both individuals had "significant underlying health conditions that may have been impacted by cyclosporiasis and dehydration."
The CDC is advising consumers not to eat recalled iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms de Mexico, including Marketside-brand products sold at Walmart, because the lettuce may be contaminated with the parasite. The recall includes more than 30 chopped salad and shredded lettuce products sold under multiple brand names.
The FDA is advising consumers to throw away any recalled products or return them to the store where they were purchased.
According to the CDC, symptoms of cyclosporiasis typically begin about a week after consuming contaminated food and commonly include frequent watery diarrhea, loss of appetite, weight loss, stomach cramps, bloating, nausea, fatigue and, in some cases, vomiting or a low-grade fever. Without treatment, symptoms can last for weeks or even months.
