JACKSON, Miss.—Mississippi’s State Epidemiologist Renia Dotson issued an emergency reporting declaration on Thursday, adding an intestinal infection called cyclosporiasis to the list of diseases required for reporting. That will allow the Mississippi State Department of Health officials to monitor outbreaks across the state.
Dotson’s decision to declare a state of emergency comes in light of a national outbreak in cyclosporiasis identified in recent months. The state has confirmed five reported cases so far, MSDH said Friday.
Cyclosporiasis is a gastrointestinal illness, typically accompanied by symptoms like watery diarrhea, loss of appetite, weight loss, bloating, nausea and fatigue.
“Sometimes the cases of diarrhea are mild, and other times they can be very severe,” Dotson said at a press conference in Jackson on Friday. “… Every person who contracts it will be different.”
Cyclosporiasis comes from exposure to the cyclospora parasite by consuming infected food or water, Dotson said at a Friday press conference, and cannot be spread person-to-person in the way illnesses like COVID-19 or norovirus spread.
Dotson advised Mississippians to wash all fruits and vegetables thoroughly under water before eating, cutting or cooking them. Consumers should scrub firm fruits and vegetables like pears, apples, peaches, melons and cucumbers with a clean produce brush and cut off any bruised or damaged pieces before preparing or eating them.
“It is important to thoroughly wash produce, even if it has been labeled as pre-washed, even if it has been labeled as triple-washed, as we see sometimes,” Dotson said on Friday.
She also reminded consumers to refrigerate cut, peeled or cooked vegetables as soon as possible, and within two hours.
“Because cyclospora can adhere tightly to produce, routine washing may reduce it, but it does not always completely eliminate the risk of the infection,” Dotson warned. “So cooking foods thoroughly kills the parasite itself.”
Taco Bell shredded lettuce is connected to outbreaks in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control announced on Thursday.
None of Mississippi’s reported cases have been linked to the multi-state outbreak under investigation by the CDC, Dotson said at the Friday press conference, but she still advised consumers to avoid shredded lettuce and shredded lettuce from Taco Bell in particular for the time being. Mississippi has reported cases of cyclosporiasis in the State Department of Health districts 3, 6, 8 and 9.
Although cyclospora is a parasite, it is treated with the antibiotic commonly known as Bactrim, which is a common treatment for parasitic infections, Dotson told the Mississippi Free Press on Friday.
Mississippians with comorbidities exacerbated by dehydration like heart disease, diabetes, lung disease and hypertension, are at a higher risk of complications with cyclospora contraction. People receiving cancer treatments or immunosuppressants like those used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and some inflammatory diseases are also at higher risk, Dotson said.
The dehydration risk associated with a cyclospora infection is exacerbated by summer heat as well.
“We do recommend that you stay hydrated (and that) you perhaps consider some of the electrolyte compositions to help with that to replace you know electrolytes that could be lost through diarrhea and that sort of thing,” Dotson told the Mississippi Free Press on Friday.
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