The numbers don’t lie.
They just make your stomach turn.
Back in June, a few dozen Americans reported feeling rotten from Cyclospora. Just a blip on the national radar. By early July? Michigan alone had over a thousand cases.
One thousand.
One thousand two hundred and fifty one.
This isn’t a mild tummy ache. We are talking about the parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis. It hides in food. It waits in water. When it lands in your system, it causes severe diarrhea. Sometimes the CDC describes it as “explosive bowel movements.” A polite medical way to say your day is over.
It’s not typically life-threatening, but the aftermath is miserable.
The CDC hasn’t updated its nationwide data since mid-June. That’s when we heard about 145 cases spread across 17 states. Michigan was clean. Zero cases.
Now Michigan is ground zero.
Officials there are quiet. When asked for updates after a statement on July 4, they declined to add details. No new leaks. No sudden breakthroughs. What they do know? They have no idea where it came from.
No specific produce provider is linked.
No single farm.
Just a wave of sickness rolling through southeastern Michigan. And advice. Lots of advice.
Do not buy the bagged salad mix. Never. Grab the whole head of lettuce instead. Tear off the outer leaves—two or three, at least—then trash them. Wash what remains under running water. Rinse the cilantro. Wash the basil. Peel the outer layers off the green onions.
Avoid fresh, uncooked raspberries entirely.
Snow peas need washing too.
It’s exhausting, really. Trying to eat safely feels like a chore now. But that’s the reality in places like New York too.
New York isn’t holding up any better.
Since May 1st, the state has logged 394 cases. Most of those are in the city—273, to be exact. The CDC previously reported between 31 and 80 for the whole state in mid-June. The jump is steep.
Officials there shrug slightly.
They say these spikes happen. Every spring and summer, cases rise. The current numbers aren’t drastically different from past years. They haven’t found a single source linking all these outbreaks either.
Maybe it’s just the season. Maybe it’s bad luck.
But when you’re washing your spinach twice before chopping it, does the reason matter?
Probably not.
Just wash your hands. And your fruit. And maybe check your produce before you take a bite.
There is no grand solution yet. Just more rinsing. More caution. And waiting for the wave to break on its own.
It usually does. Eventually.
But until then? The numbers keep climbing.
