Del Monte Vegetables Linked to Outbreak That Has Sickened More Than 200
More than 200 people have been infected by an intestinal parasite after reportedly eating vegetables from Fresh Del Monte Produce vegetable trays, the federal authorities said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported there were 212 cases of the infection, cyclosporiasis, in Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin as of Thursday.
Those infected reported eating from the prepackaged vegetable trays, which included broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and dill dip. Most of the trays were bought from Kwik Trip or Kwik Star convenience stores in those states, according to the C.D.C. The infection can cause a host of stomach-related illnesses, fever and fatigue, and symptoms typically show up one week after the contaminated food was consumed. That means that the number of cases could continue to climb as more people start reporting their illnesses.
Michael T. Osterholm, a professor at the University of Minnesota and an international food-borne disease expert said that the prevalence of the infection had been tied to an increase in imported produce from South and Central America and Mexico, but that the source of the infection remained unclear.
According to the C.D.C., the parasite most likely got on the produce through feces. But Dr. Osterholm said it still is not known exactly how and why the produce gets contaminated.
“We have to find out what it is,” he said. “Is it wildlife?”
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/07/us/del-monte-vegetable-trays-parasite-nyt.html