Iowa, Nebraska Link Bagged Salad to Their States' Cyclospora Cases
Iowa and Nebraska health officials announced July 30 that they have linked a nationally distributed packaged salad mix to an outbreak of Cyclospora parasite infections in their states that has sickened 221 people. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that almost 400 people across 15 states are confirmed with the parasite. Federal health officials said they are working to determine if the findings apply to cases in other states, according to the Minneapolis-based Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP).
In a statement issued July 30 by the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH), Steven Mandernach, chief of the Food and Consumer Safety Bureau of the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals (DIA), said epidemiologic and food history interviews with sick patients point to a bagged salad mix containing iceberg and romaine lettuce, carrots, and red cabbage.