BY SUSAN TEBBEN
Ohio has seen its second straight week of “significant increases” in cases of cyclosporiasis, the parasite that has been connected to leafy greens, and to severe diarrhea throughout the U.S, according to the state’s health director.
The Ohio Department of Health shows the state has seen nearly 4,000 cases since June 1.
The highest numbers come out of Lucas County, which has 553 cases to date since the beginning of the summer. Cuyahoga County has a reported 457 cases, and Wood County comes in third with 446 cases since June 1.
While Ohio hasn’t caught up to the numbers seen in Michigan, considered one of the biggest states in the cyclosporiasis outbreak, the numbers are getting close, according to the state’s health director, Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff.
“We have just seen over the course of the last couple of months a fairly steady and alarming increase in the number of cases,” Vanderhoff said in a Tuesday press conference.
“What it is telling us is that we have reason for continued concern about the risk people face from cyclosporiasis.”
Vanderhoff encouraged anyone who has been sick to respond to calls from health departments seeking to interview those who have been infected.
“These interviews provide crucial data … and help find commonalities among those who have been sick,” Vanderhoff said.
While the state is deferring to the FDA and the CDC to identify potential sources of the outbreak, the state has been collecting information they’ve passed on to federal agencies, according to Vanderhoff.
The CDC has traced infections back to iceberg lettuce in nine states including Ohio, and produce company Taylor Farms has recalled iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico, according to the federal agency.
The investigation into the outbreak is still ongoing, as the CDC is also investigating other cases it says are unrelated to the outbreak hitting Ohio and surrounding states.
The Ohio health director dismissed ideas that fresh produce should be avoided entirely, pushing for more diligent cleaning practices instead.
“Prevention really begins not with avoiding … things our bodies need, but taking a sound approach to how we prepare fruits and vegetables every single day,” he said.
Proper washing of produce includes a thorough rinse under running water, and scrubbing fruits and vegetables with tougher skins with a brush.
Dr. Robert Frenck, a pediatrician and director of the Vaccine Research Center at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, was mainly on the press conference to discuss child vaccines as a new school year approaches, but also served to dissuade ideas that cyclosporiasis is bigger than it is.
“In the greater scheme of things, it’s still a rather unusual infection,” Frenck said, adding that norovirus sees far more incidence rates annually than the parasitic infection that’s covering major news headlines this year.
The hallmark of cyclosporiasis is the lasting effects, Frenck said, with symptoms like diarrhea lasting weeks, sometimes months.
Treatment is possible through antibiotics, but Frenck said it’s important to know when to alert the doctor (after about a week of symptoms), and for physicians to make sure lab tests look for the parasite. Routine lab work wouldn’t normally cover that type of infection, according to the pediatrician.
Both Frenck and Vanderhoff said deaths are not typical from the infection.
Reported deaths in Michigan were connected to individuals with unrelated significant health problems, but Vanderhoff said that does give reason for immunocompromised, elderly, or very young individuals to keep medical professionals involved in their care.
“The caution that I would remind people about is if you’re vulnerable because your immune system is not working optimally … and you develop diarrhea, you should be reaching out to your provider immediately for guidance and direction,” Vanderhoff said.
