KABUL (Pajhwok): Two people have died in an outbreak of the Cyclospora parasite in the US state of Michigan, marking the first reported deaths linked to the infection in the country, a media report said on Tuesday.
The Associated Press reported that the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said both victims had underlying health conditions that may have been worsened by the intestinal illness and dehydration caused by the parasite. The department did not release further details about the deaths.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Cyclospora is a microscopic parasite that infects the human intestine and causes cyclosporiasis, an illness typically characterised by watery diarrhoea, abdominal pain, nausea and dehydration. Outbreaks occur most frequently during the spring and summer months.
The disease is rarely fatal and is usually spread by consuming food, particularly fruits and vegetables, contaminated with faeces, the report said.
The CDC has recorded more than 18,000 confirmed or suspected cases in the current outbreak, while state data puts the total number of infections across the United States at more than 20,000.
The CDC previously identified imported lettuce from Mexico served at some Taco Bell restaurants in several US states as one source of the outbreak.
Although cyclosporiasis is rarely fatal, the CDC said it can pose a serious risk to people with underlying health conditions.
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