Utah has logged 48 reported cases of cyclosporiasis since May 1, but five patients say they have not traveled outside the state — leaving health officials sorting routine travel-related infections from any possible local signal. The update arrives as a much larger U.S. outbreak has triggered a lettuce recall and, in Michigan, the first reported deaths tied to the parasite.
According to KSL NewsRadio, 31 of Utah’s patients reported traveling outside the United States, while 12 traveled to other states and five reported no travel beyond Utah. Several sick individuals have not yet been interviewed, meaning the state investigation is still developing. The national tally cited in the report had surpassed 18,000 cases.
Utah Cases Are Not The Same As National Outbreak
That number needs context. In a July 10 statement, the Utah Department of Health and Human Services said no Utah infections had been identified as part of the multistate outbreak, and that a nontraveler diagnosed earlier had no connection to it.
The state agency also said it had not seen an unusual increase in people seeking care for gastrointestinal symptoms. Utah health officials said the state has not received any recalled products connected to the national outbreak, according to the latest update.
Recalled Lettuce Is Tied To Nine-State Cluster
Federal investigators have tied a separate nine-state cluster to shredded iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico and recalled by Taylor Farms de Mexico, according to the Food and Drug Administration. As of July 24, that outbreak included 1,947 people who reported eating at Taco Bell locations and at least 98 hospitalizations.
Utah is not among the nine states listed in that lettuce-linked investigation. The FDA says the recalled products should be discarded, and notes that the outbreak illnesses are only a subset of all Cyclospora infections being tracked nationwide.
Why Health Officials Are Watching Dehydration
The stakes grew Monday when Michigan officials announced that two people with cyclosporiasis had died. Both had significant underlying health conditions that may have been worsened by the illness and dehydration, the Associated Press reported.
Cyclosporiasis is usually not life-threatening, but it can cause frequent watery diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, fatigue and weight loss. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says symptoms can last for weeks, relapse after seeming to improve and require a special stool test that is not always included in routine testing.
Utahns experiencing persistent watery diarrhea should contact a health care provider and ask whether Cyclospora testing is appropriate. Public health guidance recommends washing fresh produce with drinking water, peeling or cooking produce when possible and staying alert for recall notices, while the five Utah cases without reported travel remain under investigation.
