New York, Florida and Minnesota have been hard-hit by the Cyclospora outbreak linked to imported basil from Mexico. About 90 percent of cases reported in the 11-state outbreak occurred in those three states. As of July 24, 2019, the outbreak had sickened 132 people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The CDC totals from the 11 states are: CT (1), FL (22), GA (2), IA (2), MA (1), MN (29), NY (69), OH (3), RI (1), SC (1), and WI (1). “We’ll likely see those totals increase,” said Food Safety Attorney Fred Pritzker, whose firm Pritzker Hageman has represented more clients in recent large-scale Cyclospora outbreaks than any other attorney in the country.
All 35 of the Cyclospora cases reported in Minnesota were linked to restaurant food. Cases in New York, Florida and Ohio were also linked to restaurant food.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has identified Siga Logistics de RL de CV of Morelos, Mexico as the exporter that supplied affected points of sale in the U.S. The agency requested that the company issue a recall and Siga complied. This recall prompted Publix to recall Rock Garden organic basil.
Consumers and restaurants who have purchased basil imported from Mexico should not use it until they check recall information carefully. The recalled product should not be eaten.
Food gets contaminated with Cyclospora, a parasite native to sub-tropical climates, when it contacts fecal matter containing the parasitic eggs. Sometimes this happens with irrigation water or water used to wash harvested produce is contaminated.
Symptoms of a Cyclospora infection include diarrhea that is often explosive and watery, abdominal cramps, nausea, headache, fatigue, weight loss and other flu-like symptoms. Without treatment, these symptoms can last more than two months. Antibiotics can successfully treat these infections, so see your doctor if you have symptoms.
Tests can confirm if you have a Cyclospora infection. If you have had a test that confirms you have been sickened by Cyclospora, we can help. To request a free consultation, call 1 (888) 377-8900 (toll-free), send a text to 612-261-0856 or complete the form below and put our experienced Cyclospora Team to work for you.