AILSA CHANG, HOST:
The cyclospora outbreak continues to sicken thousands of people in record-breaking numbers, especially in the Midwest. So NPR's Yuki Noguchi joins us now to talk about what consumers need to know. Hi, Yuki.
YUKI NOGUCHI, BYLINE: Hi, Ailsa.
CHANG: OK. So let's just start with where things stand at this moment. Like, what is the risk for the average consumer?
NOGUCHI: Yeah. Someone with cyclosporiasis typically has persistent diarrhea, and it can last many weeks. You know, it typically crops up every summer when it's hot. So the main danger here is dehydration, especially for babies, older or immunocompromised people. And that can cause, in severe cases, kidney failure, especially for people with diabetes or, you know, renal problems to begin with. But for most people, it's just miserable. You know, no deaths have been reported, but it's just miserable.
CHANG: It sounds so miserable. And I've seen estimates that, like - what? - about 10,000 people have gotten sick at this point. Is that accurate?
NOGUCHI: Yeah, the numbers are tricky. As of July 11, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's disease surveillance says there are 3,700 confirmed cases, but we know it's much, much higher than that because of lags in reporting. Anne Zink, an Alaska ER doctor and health policy fellow at Yale, created a web tool to try to get public health data out faster. But she says confirming cyclosporiasis cases takes time.
ANNE ZINK: It's not a test that we routinely do. So healthcare providers have to have a high suspicion. Patients need to have access to healthcare to be able to go in and get tested. Then the test takes a couple days to come back. And state and local health officials will send it to the state, and then that takes a little bit of time to look at, and then that has to be sent to the federal government, to CDC.
NOGUCHI: You know, so the upshot is that no one really knows how big this actually is and, therefore, when it might end.
CHANG: Yeah. OK. Well, Yuki, where exactly are the risks currently the greatest right now in the U.S.? What do you know?
NOGUCHI: It depends on your geography and, obviously, proximity to the contamination. Experts think we're actually dealing with several unrelated outbreaks right now. The biggest, by far, is Michigan and Ohio, which account for most cases right now. U.S. health officials say iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms in Mexico was the source. That product was recalled. But now, if you look at a heat map of these states, you know, where the cases are, the southern Michigan border with Ohio is, like, the worst. It's like 10 times the rate of that of nearby states.
CHANG: Wow. And at this point, we don't know the source. No produce has, so far, tested positive for the parasite, right?
NOGUCHI: Right. That's right. And that's actually not uncommon. You know, a crop is large. A sample is small. So, you know, it's easy to miss these things.
CHANG: Yeah. But it's so frustrating. So what are consumers supposed to do at this point?
NOGUCHI: Yeah. It's hard, also, because cyclospora is a tough parasite to kill. It's both waterborne and foodborne. It's resistant to chemicals typically used to treat produce. And, you know, chlorine, like in pools, also typically won't kill it. So it will die when heated to 158 degrees, but, you know, that doesn't help if you're eating fresh produce...
CHANG: Right.
NOGUCHI: ...That it can hide in the crevices of there. So, Anne Fink (ph), that ER doctor, recommends first buying from smaller, local farms because this latest case involves a large processor and distributor. Plus...
ZINK: I would also tell people to clean and wash them really well. And things like a head of iceberg lettuce, just taking off the top layers can help to reduce that risk of food contamination from the outside, just like you would peel an orange.
NOGUCHI: You know, parasites tend to stick to the outside of produce.
CHANG: And real quick, Yuki, what advice is there for people who think they might have contracted this?
NOGUCHI: Well, right now, given this outbreak, doctors are recommending coming in if symptoms last and especially if you're cramping or seeing blood in your stool. The treatment is an antibiotic, and it can resolve within days.
CHANG: That is NPR's Yuki Noguchi. Thank you, Yuki.
NOGUCHI: Thank you, Ailsa. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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