The CDC has announced that as of September 14, 2015, the Cyclospora outbreak that was caused by cilantro is over. The final case count is 546 people. Out of those 546 victims, 319 had illness onset dates after May 1, 2015. These 319 people were spread out over 23 states, including Arkansas with 3 cases, California with 2 cases, Connecticut with 5 cases, Florida with 13 cases, Georgia with 26 cases, Illinois with 9 cases, Iowa with 1 cases, Kansas with 2 cases, Maryland with 1 cases, Massachusetts with 12 cases, Michigan with 2 cases, Missouri with 1 cases, Montana with 3 cases, Nebraska with 1 cases, New Jersey with 7 cases, New Mexico with 2 cases, New York with excluding NYC cases with 10 cases, New York City with 22 cases, North Carolina with 1 cases, Texas with 179 cases, Utah with 1 cases, Virginia with 3 cases, Washington with 2 cases, and Wisconsin with 11 cases.
Cyclospora infections usually occur after the consuming of food or water contaminated with fecal matter. Cyclospora must exit the body through feces in order to be infectious. Symptoms of Cyclospora poisoning appear between 2 and 11 after infection, and include watery diarrhea, bouts of diarrhea, bouts of constipation, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, fever, and muscle aches. The illness may end itself after a few days, but it may last for weeks. If you or a loved one begins to show the symptoms of Cyclospora poisoning after eating a product associated with an outbreak, or develops diarrhea that persists for days, contact a medical professional.