Cyclospora outbreak expands to 9 states, with Midwest still the hotspot

Federal health officials said the cyclosporiasis outbreak has expanded from five states to nine: Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. The Midwest remains the hotspot, with most earlier cases reported in Michigan and Ohio. According to the CDC, 1,947 cases have been linked to iceberg lettuce distributed by Taylor Farms to Taco Bell locations in the nine states.

Business Insider reported that 98 people are known to have been hospitalized and no deaths have been reported. People started falling ill between June 22 and July 20.

Taylor Farms voluntarily recalled iceberg lettuce from the US that was sourced from central Mexico on July 17. The company told shoppers who bought iceberg lettuce distributed from June 29 through July 16 in 27 states not to consume it and to throw it out.

Other foods have not been ruled out. Katelyn Jetelina, assistant professor adjunct of epidemiology at Yale School of Public Health, said the recall covered 27 states because of complex food distribution networks and continued uncertainty about where people are most affected.

State and federal counts may differ because some state health departments are tallying cases tied to the ongoing outbreak, while others include all cyclosporiasis cases reported in 2026. As of July 21, Georgetown University's Health Security Operations Center had tracked at least 11,276 cases across 46 states.

The CDC said in its July 24 update that it had confirmed 4,173 domestic cases and was aware of more than 7,400 cases that needed further analysis to confirm. That gap makes the outbreak harder to interpret in real time.

Cyclospora spreads through contaminated food and water, and symptoms including watery diarrhea, nausea, and stomach cramps can take up to two weeks to appear. The parasite is resistant to disinfectants, and washing food does not guarantee removal because it can stick to produce.

Health authorities say cooking foods to at least 158 degrees Fahrenheit can definitively kill the parasite. Business Insider also noted that buying whole heads of lettuce and peeling back the outer leaves may be a better choice than pre-washed, bagged, or pre-mixed salads for people who are more risk-tolerant.