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Georgia, Tennessee and Texas have joined the cyclospora outbreak tied to recalled iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms. That brings the confirmed lettuce specific outbreak to 20 states. The case count tied specifically to the lettuce has climbed past 11,000.
Health officials traced new cyclospora cases in those three states back to the same recalled iceberg lettuce. That lettuce was already linked to illnesses in 17 other states. A state only gets added once officials confirm the link. They trace reported illnesses to the lettuce and test sick people to confirm their infections match the outbreak strain. They do not add a state on suspicion alone.
How many cases are tied to this update
As of Aug. 27, officials had confirmed 11,458 cases as part of the lettuce specific outbreak. That total now includes Georgia, Tennessee and Texas. Reporting on the prior week’s total differs slightly between sources. One account puts it at 9,481 cases as of Aug. 20. Another cites roughly 10,900 cases the week before. The exact growth rate carries some uncertainty depending on the source. Even so, every account agrees the current total has climbed past 11,000 since the three new states were added.
The CDC’s own update puts hospitalizations tied to this outbreak at 495. Investigators say the outbreak includes people who ate the recalled lettuce at various locations. That includes some who reported eating at Taco Bell before getting sick.
Is this the same as the nationwide cyclospora total
No, and this is the detail most worth getting right. Separate from the 20 state, 11,458 case lettuce specific outbreak, the CDC also tracks a broader number. Nearly 29,000 confirmed or suspected cyclospora cases have been reported nationwide so far this year. Those cases span 48 states plus Washington, D.C. That broader national number reflects multiple distinct outbreak clusters. Most of those clusters have no confirmed common source.
Officials say it is unlikely a single cause explains every case in that larger national count. So far, Taylor Farms lettuce is the only confirmed source, and only for the 20 states in this update. Readers should not add the two numbers together or treat them as describing the same outbreak.
What else has changed since the last update
Michigan remains the hardest hit state by far, with more than 14,000 cases and the outbreak’s first two confirmed deaths. Both deaths occurred in people who had underlying health conditions, according to the CDC. Nationwide, the broader cyclospora total includes 922 hospitalizations. The lettuce specific subset tied to this latest three state update accounts for close to 500 of those hospitalizations. It also includes both confirmed deaths.
The FDA continues testing product at the Taylor Farms facility in central Mexico where the lettuce originated. It is working alongside Mexican officials. The best by dates on the recalled lettuce have now passed. The FDA says it remains confident that all recalled product tied to this outbreak is off the market.
Health officials note that national case counts typically lag about six weeks behind what states are already reporting. Because of that lag, both totals are likely to climb further. That includes the 20 state lettuce count and the nationwide count, as more infections work through the reporting process.
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