COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) Federal health officials have declared an official end to the largest cyclospora outbreak on record, providing long-awaited relief to Michigan, which bore the heaviest burden of the foodborne crisis.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed that the parasitic outbreak linked to contaminated Taylor Farms iceberg lettuce from Mexico has subsided and the product is no longer in stores or restaurants.
Nationwide, the microscopic parasite infected nearly 13,000 people and forced hundreds of hospitalizations. However, nowhere was the impact felt more acutely than in Michigan, where roughly 1 in every 1,000 residents contracted the illness, and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services(MDHHS ) ultimately tracked thousands of cases alongside the nation’s only two deaths tied to the outbreak.
The crisis hit Michigan with unprecedented force after state health officials first flagged an uptick in intestinal illnesses back in June, eventually tracing case clusters to local restaurants like Taco Bell.
The resulting infections caused severe dehydration and gastrointestinal distress, leading to at least two fatalities within the state among individuals with significant underlying health conditions.
While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration continues to investigate how the processing center and farms in Mexico became contaminated, the official all-clear means Michigan families and diners can finally return to regular produce consumption without the looming fear of infection.
State and federal authorities emphasized that while this specific lettuce-borne threat has passed, general vigilance regarding food hygiene remains essential as the broader parasite surveillance continues.
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