What Is The Current Status Of The Cyclosporiasis Outbreak In Illinois?

Maybe someday, years from now, we’ll look back on the summer of 2026 and call it “The Summer of Cyclospora.”

That's assuming, of course, this microscopic little parasite and its explosive diarrhea symptoms ever decides to leave us alone.

As of this week, The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) says Illinois has now recorded 1,437 confirmed and probable cases of cyclosporiasis, with 69 people requiring hospitalization. Thankfully, no deaths have been reported in Illinois.

This Is Not An Illinois-Only Problem, Numbers Continue To Rise Across The Nation

The CDC says more than 15,700 laboratory-confirmed cases have been reported across the country since May 1st, along with 828 hospitalizations. The CDC is also investigating multiple clusters, including a large outbreak linked to processed iceberg lettuce from Mexico.

So what are we supposed to do? Should we stop eating salads? Swear off lettuce? Put the cucumbers in a locked safe?

Not quite.

Health officials recommend rinsing fresh fruits and vegetables thoroughly under running water before eating, cutting or cooking them. Firm produce like melons and cucumbers should get a good scrub with a clean produce brush. And when appropriate, cooking produce to 158 degrees can be more effective than washing alone because it can inactivate Cyclospora.

woman wearing yellow and pink floral dress wahing carrots — Photo by CDC on Unsplash

Here's Something That You Don't Need To Do

Don't stop buying fresh fruits and vegetables altogether.

There's no recommendation to avoid every piece of produce in your grocery cart. In fact, thoroughly washing your produce remains one of the best things you can do.

Cyclospora is particularly nasty because symptoms can include frequent watery diarrhea, stomach cramps, bloating, nausea, fatigue, weight loss and loss of appetite. Symptoms can also disappear and then come roaring back, sometimes lasting a month or longer without treatment.

So wash the lettuce. Scrub the cucumbers. Rinse those strawberries thoroughly.

And here's hoping that someday soon, “Summer of Cyclospora” will just be the name of a really terrible band that never actually existed.