NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A parasitic illness causing severe stomach problems has arrived in Tennessee and Kentucky, with cases now reported in 31 states and more than 2,600 suspected cases in Michigan alone.
The illness, cyclosporiasis, spreads through produce or drinking water contaminated with the microscopic parasite.
Click here for more information about the outbreak.
Recent CDC data shows Tennessee has between 11 and 30 cases, while Kentucky has between 31 and 80. However, tracking the illness is difficult because symptoms do not appear immediately.
"It can take a week, a week and a half, or two weeks before it makes you ill. So we're actually getting food histories from patients that are back a week or two weeks ago," said Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Symptoms can be severe and long-lasting.
"Vomiting, bad diarrhea for several days, feeling poorly. You can have a degree of fever, lose your appetite," Schaffner said.
Even after initial improvement, the illness can return.
"You'll feel a little better, but it can come back on you, and it can do that on and off, actually for a period of weeks," Schaffner said.
The illness can be treated with antibiotics.
Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt, said the best way to reduce risk is to remember these three rules when it comes to produce.
"Wash it, peel it, or cook it," Shaffner said.
Schaffner also recommends using a brush to clean fruit with a hard rind, and taking special care to wash items like lettuce even if they are labeled as being washed before packaging.
While washing produce helps, it does not fully eliminate the risk, that’s why cooking vegetables is important to kill the bug.
I also talked to Dr. Marshall Hall with TriStar’s Emergency Department; he said these precautions are especially important for children, the elderly, and anyone with a compromised immune system.
If symptoms persist, Hall said it is time to see a doctor.
"If you have a diarrhea illness that goes on for more than a few days, so once you start approaching a week of steady diarrhea," Hall said.
Hall said for most people the symptoms will last a few weeks.
"In healthy patients it's usually self-limited, meaning you will get over it in a few weeks,” Hall said.
CDC officials are still working to determine the exact cause of the outbreak.
Click here for more precautions on how to avoid catching cyclosporiasis.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at robb.coles@newschannel5.com.
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